<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" >

	<channel>
		<title>Mongabay India</title>
		<atom:link href="https://india.mongabay.com/feed/?topic=commentary&#038;type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/commentary/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:11:15 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
		<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
		<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
		<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3</generator>
				<item>
					<title>India needs a just adaptation agenda [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/india-needs-a-just-adaptation-agenda-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/india-needs-a-just-adaptation-agenda-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Oct 2026 14:19:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ishan KukretiSarada Prasanna DasSony R K]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/06100254/1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41415</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Commentary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Climate impacts in India are becoming increasingly visible. As parts of the country, including Assam and Bihar, faced floods, drought was declared in Maharashtra, while others like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are facing drought-like situations. Even India&#8217;s cities have not been spared by these climate impacts. The Reserve Bank of India has [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Climate impacts in India are becoming increasingly visible. As parts of the country, including Assam and Bihar, faced floods, drought was declared in Maharashtra, while others like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are facing drought-like situations. Even India&#8217;s cities have not been spared by these climate impacts. The Reserve Bank of India has warned that extreme heat and humidity could put up to 4.5% of India’s GDP at risk by 2030 through lost labour hours. While these disasters differ in geography and hazard, together they underscore a common reality. Climate change is no longer a future environmental challenge. It is reshaping India&#8217;s economy, infrastructure and development in real time. At the same time, the Indian government has been taking steps towards adapting to these challenges. Six of the nine missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change focus on adaptation, and 34 states and Union Territories have prepared State Action Plans on Climate Change. The latest Economic Survey tabled in January, classifies spending equal to 5.6% of GDP in 2021–22 as “adaptation and resilience-related”, up from 3.7% in 2015–16. While these investments and interventions are necessary, some fundamental questions receive far less attention: adaptation for whom and how? And who gets to make these decisions? These questions become particularly important as India prepares its first National Adaptation Plan (NAP), a roadmap that will shape public investment in climate resilience over the coming decades. This makes it worth examining how India should adapt to climate change and which&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/india-needs-a-just-adaptation-agenda-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/india-needs-a-just-adaptation-agenda-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Community-based mangrove monitoring should compliment satellite data [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/community-based-mangrove-monitoring-should-compliment-satellite-data-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/community-based-mangrove-monitoring-should-compliment-satellite-data-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Sep 2026 10:56:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Utchimahali Mariappan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/22101938/02_Kudikadu_UM-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41118</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Commentary, Community based conservation, Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Forests, Mangroves, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Plantations, Plants, Positive Environmental, Reforestation, Satellite Imagery, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Early one morning at Kudikadu, a small fishing hamlet on the Uppanar river in Cuddalore district, a forester and their team members walked the mangrove nursery before the tide turned. They carried no satellite receiver or drones; only notebooks and pencils. They counted saplings, noted which ones survived the last spring tide and which did [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Early one morning at Kudikadu, a small fishing hamlet on the Uppanar river in Cuddalore district, a forester and their team members walked the mangrove nursery before the tide turned. They carried no satellite receiver or drones; only notebooks and pencils. They counted saplings, noted which ones survived the last spring tide and which did not. By now, hundreds of villagers are enrolled in Tamil Nadu&#8217;s Village Mangrove Councils, walking their own stretches of coast on their own schedules to observe the mangroves. The result? Something remote sensing alone cannot give you: ground truth, gathered frequently, at fine scale, with enough sampling points across enough seasons to mean something. This matters because Tamil Nadu&#8217;s mangrove restoration story is still being told mainly through area figures. A recent assessment by the Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management (CCCDM) at Anna University, part of its &#8216;Blue Carbon Monitoring for Mangroves of Tamil Nadu&#8217; report, found that the state&#8217;s mangrove area roughly doubled, from about 4,500 ha to 9,039 ha, between 2021 and 2024, an increase linked to plantation drives and protection measures carried out over the same period. New plantations account for 40.1% (3,625 ha) of this total, with existing mangrove forests making up the remaining 59.9% (5,414 ha). Area-based estimates alone cannot tell us whether new mangrove cover is surviving, diverse, and functioning, or whether it is a thin, even-aged stand, a bad monsoon away from dying back. The stakes are high because Tamil Nadu is now one of India&#8217;s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/community-based-mangrove-monitoring-should-compliment-satellite-data-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/community-based-mangrove-monitoring-should-compliment-satellite-data-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Efficiency mandates can build India’s clean tech sovereignty [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jun 2026 16:17:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ajay Mathur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/15092043/AP23313788200798-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38647</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Commentary, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Green Business, Green Energy, Industry, Renewable Energy, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today we are seeing it play out acutely in the clean energy transition. While importing technology serves as a necessary jumpstart, relying on it as a permanent strategy creates a fragile foundation. In an era defined by geopolitical volatility, trade barriers, and fractured supply chains, the strategy of continuous imports is no longer just economically draining, but also a risk to national energy security. To build a truly resilient, low-carbon future, India must pivot from being a passive consumer of global technology to an active creator of indigenous innovations. The key to unlocking this shift does not lie in blunt import bans or open-ended subsidies alone. Instead, it lies in a regulatory mechanism that India has already proven. Anchoring long-term procurement frameworks to progressively tightening, non-negotiable efficiency standards can work. By announcing these escalations well in advance, India can compel industry players to move away from quick-fix imports, invest heavily in domestic research, development, and demonstration (RD&amp;D), and forge deep, lasting linkages with local academia. The fragility of the import trap India’s climate targets are among the most ambitious in the world, requiring the deployment of hundreds of gigawatts of renewable energy over the next few&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Is India’s 2030 gas consumption target feasible?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-is-indias-2030-gas-consumption-target-feasible/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-is-indias-2030-gas-consumption-target-feasible/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Jul 2024 13:23:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Purva Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[liquefied natural gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LNG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ONGC]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/07/01105201/1200px-Kochi_LNG_Terminal_DSW-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28338</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Commentary, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India aims to increase the share of natural gas in its energy mix. Keeping this in mind, the government has set a target of 500 Million Metric Standard Cubic Metres per Day (MMSCMD) of gas consumption by 2030. This requires a dramatic increase in consumption of around 170% within a short period from 185 MMSCMD [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India aims to increase the share of natural gas in its energy mix. Keeping this in mind, the government has set a target of 500 Million Metric Standard Cubic Metres per Day (MMSCMD) of gas consumption by 2030. This requires a dramatic increase in consumption of around 170% within a short period from 185 MMSCMD in the fiscal year (FY) 2023-24 (April 2023 to March 2024). Achieving the proposed consumption levels requires increased domestic gas production, enhanced liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, and massive infrastructure additions. Yet, we need to ask whether these additions will be enough to meet the consumption increase. Also, is gas the right fuel for the country, or should it leapfrog to cleaner technologies such as hydrogen, biofuels, and renewable electricity? Natural gas, or methane gas, is a fossil fuel made up of a mix of hydrocarbons, particularly methane. Limited production could lead to increased import reliance Natural gas availability could be a major challenge for enhancing consumption. India’s domestic natural gas production in FY 2023-24 was around 99.5 MMSCMD while LNG imports were 85.6 MMSCMD. Domestic production hovered around 50% of consumption. While 30 MMSCMD of domestic natural gas production capacity has been added over the past three years and another 15 MMSCMD is expected in 2024-25, these fields face significant challenges. Most new fields are deepwater or high-pressure-high-temperature (HP HT) fields with difficult reservoir conditions. Their technical and technological difficulties, including the safety of people and machinery, result in commissioning delays impacting production targets.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-is-indias-2030-gas-consumption-target-feasible/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-is-indias-2030-gas-consumption-target-feasible/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Scope for more nuanced reporting by media on the Brahmaputra river basin</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/08/commentary-scope-for-more-nuanced-reporting-by-media-on-the-brahmaputra-river-basin/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/08/commentary-scope-for-more-nuanced-reporting-by-media-on-the-brahmaputra-river-basin/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Aug 2022 15:12:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sumit Vij]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme weather events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[river]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/08/09150800/inu-etc-N5n9FDQkmGQ-unsplash-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=19375</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bangladesh and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Commentary, Rivers, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Yarlung Tsangpo-Brahmaputra-Jamuna River Basin (BRB) embraces the unique geography of the Hindu Kush Himalayas, from high altitude Tibet Autonomous region to flood plains in Assam (India) and Bangladesh. The river has a massive hydropower potential, veneering strong social and cultural linkages with the basin communities in the four riparian countries (China, India, Bhutan, and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Yarlung Tsangpo-Brahmaputra-Jamuna River Basin (BRB) embraces the unique geography of the Hindu Kush Himalayas, from high altitude Tibet Autonomous region to flood plains in Assam (India) and Bangladesh. The river has a massive hydropower potential, veneering strong social and cultural linkages with the basin communities in the four riparian countries (China, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh). Water conflicts and geopolitical disputes mar the Brahmaputra river basin, mainly due to historical border issues (China and India), unilateral decision-making (China and India) and varying development agendas (China, India, and Bangladesh) shaped and influenced by a multitude of state and non-state actors. Media is an essential actor, reporting and framing the narratives of conflict and cooperation in the BRB. Media reporting influences the public agenda and shapes public debates, particularly in BRB, as there is limited research at the basin level. Sometimes media reporting leads to myths and controversies, resulting in accusations among the riparian states and exhibiting chauvinistic assertiveness in protecting territorial sovereignty and water rights. Understanding what media reports on the BRB and the emerging trends and narratives that influence public debates are essential. Moreover, a systematic understanding of the role of media in shaping the narrative around the Brahmaputra river basin is missing. We analysed 2437 newspaper articles published between 2010 and 2020 to capture how media reports influence communities living and affected in the BRB. We used the criteria such as the percentage of readership, circulation, reputation, as well as quality of journalism to select ten newspapers: India (four),&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/08/commentary-scope-for-more-nuanced-reporting-by-media-on-the-brahmaputra-river-basin/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/08/commentary-scope-for-more-nuanced-reporting-by-media-on-the-brahmaputra-river-basin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Wild garlic extraction disturbs wildlife around the Sechu-Tuan Nullah Wildlife Sanctuary</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/08/commentary-wild-garlic-extraction-disturbs-wildlife-around-the-sechu-tuan-nullah-wildlife-sanctuary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/08/commentary-wild-garlic-extraction-disturbs-wildlife-around-the-sechu-tuan-nullah-wildlife-sanctuary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Aug 2022 17:02:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Narendra Patil]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wildlife conservation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/08/01090553/MG_1863-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=19369</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Commentary, Community based conservation, and Conservation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[At an altitude of 3,900 metres, in the mountainous Himachal Pradesh, thin Bhoj trees (Himalayan birch or Betula utilus),  dominate the landscape, an area known locally as Tapa-phraun (tapa meaning tree and phraun meaning thin). These Bhoj trees are also the last ones on the trail heading northeast towards Zanskar (Ladakh). Tapa-phraun is a thang &#8211; [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[At an altitude of 3,900 metres, in the mountainous Himachal Pradesh, thin Bhoj trees (Himalayan birch or Betula utilus),  dominate the landscape, an area known locally as Tapa-phraun (tapa meaning tree and phraun meaning thin). These Bhoj trees are also the last ones on the trail heading northeast towards Zanskar (Ladakh). Tapa-phraun is a thang &#8211; a plain, surrounded by snow-covered peaks, glacial slopes, moraines, vertical rock faces of mountains and closer to its edge by meadows on gentler slopes. The Tapa-phraun nullah (stream) cuts across the thang creating an alpine wetland patch and escapes the enclosure through a narrow gully in the south. Joined by a couple of major nullahs, its water initially runs as Tuan nullah and is then joined by Sechu nullah, after which it pours into the Chenab river about 40 km downstream. Together, these alpine and subalpine streams provide the name for a wildlife sanctuary – the Sechu-Tuan Nullah Wildlife Sanctuary. Patrolling this sanctuary with an altitude range of 2,700 to 6,300 metres is not an easy task. Crossing the many cold rapids of nullahs (streams), ascending to the remote beat boundaries, a team of two forest guards and two non-permanent chowkidars (security guards) of the Sechu-Tuan Nullah Wildlife Sanctuary were on patrolling duty, one morning. At around nine that morning, Himlal, a chowkidar with the Forest Department, sat by the fire made from dry willow bushes, to cook breakfast. That’s when he spotted a Himalayan muskdeer (Moschus leucogaster), some 50 metres away. Locally known as repu,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/08/commentary-wild-garlic-extraction-disturbs-wildlife-around-the-sechu-tuan-nullah-wildlife-sanctuary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/08/commentary-wild-garlic-extraction-disturbs-wildlife-around-the-sechu-tuan-nullah-wildlife-sanctuary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] ‘Righting’ the wrong: Rights of rivers in India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/06/commentary-righting-the-wrong-rights-of-rivers-in-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/06/commentary-righting-the-wrong-rights-of-rivers-in-india/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jun 2020 11:36:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shrishtee Bajpai]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/06/23152403/yamuna_flickr-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=10338</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Commentary, Rivers, Water, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Imagine if the river Dibang in Arunachal Pradesh, currently at the centre of controversy because of the 3,097-megawatt (MW) Etalin hydroelectric project proposed to be built across it, had the right to flow? What if its tributaries Tangon and Dri on whom two run-of-the-river projects are proposed, had the fundamental right to live and perform [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Imagine if the river Dibang in Arunachal Pradesh, currently at the centre of controversy because of the 3,097-megawatt (MW) Etalin hydroelectric project proposed to be built across it, had the right to flow? What if its tributaries Tangon and Dri on whom two run-of-the-river projects are proposed, had the fundamental right to live and perform their ecological functions without any human-made hindrance, just like you and I have to life and speech? What if the proposed diversion of 1150.08 hectares of forest land and felling of over 270,000 trees in what official documents call “subtropical evergreen broad-leaved and subtropical rainforest” was equivalent to murder or genocide?  Of the many paradoxes of human existence, this has to be one of the starkest: even as we depend for our lives on rivers, even as we venerate them in many cultures, we also pollute them, block their flow, divert them into lifeless channels, and desecrate them in every conceivable way.  Signalling a shift In the year 2017, the Uttarakhand High Court (UHC) ruled that the Indian rivers Ganga and Yamuna, the Gangotri and Yamunotri glaciers, as well as other related natural elements are ‘legal persons’ with all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person. Subsequently, in 2018, the same high court ruled that the entire animal kingdom has rights equivalent to that of a living person. Then, as recently as March 2020, the Punjab and Haryana High Court passed an order declaring the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh city as a living&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/06/commentary-righting-the-wrong-rights-of-rivers-in-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/06/commentary-righting-the-wrong-rights-of-rivers-in-india/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Why are women neglected as conservers of biodiversity?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/commentary-why-are-women-neglected-as-conservers-of-biodiversity/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/commentary-why-are-women-neglected-as-conservers-of-biodiversity/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jun 2018 14:30:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anjana Vencatesan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gender]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[people]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/06/21112226/DSC_0229-a-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=1521</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Commentary, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Forests, and People]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Despite international conventions emphasising the importance of gender in achieving conservation objectives, research suggests that the recognition is superficial and particularly, in the case of the Third World development discourse, women’s knowledge systems are dismissed as “naive” and the cultural context of their knowledge production and sharing often ignored. A part of the reason for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Despite international conventions emphasising the importance of gender in achieving conservation objectives, research suggests that the recognition is superficial and particularly, in the case of the Third World development discourse, women’s knowledge systems are dismissed as “naive” and the cultural context of their knowledge production and sharing often ignored. A part of the reason for the insufficient recognition can be attributed to the poor documentation and research related to indigenous and traditional knowledge that is communicated via oral traditions, folklore and parables. It is also a result of the notion that the dynamics of women and biodiversity are highly localised phenomenon unaffected by markets or globalisation. Women become repositories of biodiversity knowledge by working in their farms and with their animals over decades. These oral knowledge systems are getting short shrift in the modern systems.  Photo by S. Gopikrishna Warrier / Mongabay. Another crucial aspect to this discourse relates to the recognition of women’s role with respect to biodiversity. The role, as seen by most policy frameworks, is that of a passive user and therefore, the emphasis of the texts is more on improving the access to biodiversity. There is minimal or no importance given to the idea of improving the role of women to that of active participants in the form of decision and policy makers. How does the CBD deal with gender? The Preamble of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) states: “Recognizing also the vital role that women play in the conservation and sustainable use of biological&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/commentary-why-are-women-neglected-as-conservers-of-biodiversity/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/commentary-why-are-women-neglected-as-conservers-of-biodiversity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Mongabay-India: Bringing biodiversity discussions into the mainstream</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/01/mongabay-india-bringing-biodiversity-discussions-into-the-mainstream/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/01/mongabay-india-bringing-biodiversity-discussions-into-the-mainstream/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jan 2018 10:22:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/01/15090140/P9113415_gimp-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=341</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Commentary, Forests, Oceans, People, Plants, and Rivers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
											<grant>
							<![CDATA[KFD2017]]>
						</grant>
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Today we formally launch Mongabay-India, the India-specific portal of the global environmental news platform Mongabay.com. This news portal will look at India’s development through the prism of conservation and environment. Mongabay-India is the newest product from the Mongabay.com group of online publications with 20 years of publishing history. In 2017, there were 32.5 million visitors [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Today we formally launch Mongabay-India, the India-specific portal of the global environmental news platform Mongabay.com. This news portal will look at India’s development through the prism of conservation and environment. Mongabay-India is the newest product from the Mongabay.com group of online publications with 20 years of publishing history. In 2017, there were 32.5 million visitors across our sites reporting news in nine languages via four bureaus, of which the India bureau is the latest addition. As an emerging economy, India’s growth story has had varying impact on the country’s habitats, natural resources, biological diversity and forest-dwelling communities. Stretching from tropical to temperate latitudes, with a 7,500 km long coastline, two archipelagos, some of the tallest mountains and the most extensive mangrove ecosystem in the world, India harbours biodiversity hotspots of global importance. From these landscapes, we will bring you stories of people, animals, plants and their habitats. Children play cricket by the riverside in Dikchu, Sikkim. Photo by Ullasa Kodandaramaiah. Bring biodiversity home Our main aim will be to mainstream biodiversity into the media narrative in the country. We hope that from our stories, biodiversity-related issues will occupy their rightful place in the public and policy discussions. Our conservation and environment stories will go beyond the limited discussions on protected areas and charismatic species such as the tiger and the elephant, and will look at how conservation and sustainable use of natural wealth can strengthen the lives and livelihoods of not just those who live in and around forests but&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/01/mongabay-india-bringing-biodiversity-discussions-into-the-mainstream/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/01/mongabay-india-bringing-biodiversity-discussions-into-the-mainstream/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
			</channel>
</rss>