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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/encroachment/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 06:38:40 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Monsoon amplifies antibiotic resistance gene levels in river water used by residents</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/monsoon-amplifies-antibiotic-resistance-gene-levels-in-river-water-used-by-residents/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/monsoon-amplifies-antibiotic-resistance-gene-levels-in-river-water-used-by-residents/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Sep 2026 14:08:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lekha Bandopadhyay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/21121256/Rispana-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41096</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Encroachment, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Floods, Himalayas, Natural Resources, Pollution, Rivers, Roads, Water, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In May 2019, Kenyum Bagra, a Ph.D. student from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, was collecting river water and sediment samples at multiple locations in Uttarakhand, along Bindal Rao and Rispana, two heavily polluted sub-tributaries of the Ganga river, flowing through Dehradun’s densely populated settlements. While Rispana is a perennial stream, she noted that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In May 2019, Kenyum Bagra, a Ph.D. student from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, was collecting river water and sediment samples at multiple locations in Uttarakhand, along Bindal Rao and Rispana, two heavily polluted sub-tributaries of the Ganga river, flowing through Dehradun’s densely populated settlements. While Rispana is a perennial stream, she noted that Bindal, a seasonal river, was dry at upstream locations, as expected at this time before the arrival of the monsoon (between June and September) except near the settlements where there was a slim flow. This flow was the city’s wastewater that drains into the riverbed throughout the year. Running in parallel, Rispana and Bindal respectively carry almost 10 million litres per day (MLD) and about 18 MLD of municipal wastewater, before joining downstream to form the Suswa river, a polluted river stretch listed under the Namami Gange river restoration programme. Bagra also noticed that both rivers were being used to dump solid waste. “During my work, I saw solid waste dumped directly into these rivers, as well as dead animals, while children were playing and bathing just downstream,” says Bagra, now an Assistant Professor at IIT-Varanasi. Based on seasonal (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon) and multilocational samplings in 2019, Bagra’s mentor Gargi Singh, Associate Professor, IIT-Roorkee, recently reported that throughout the sampling stretches, these rivers showed widespread faecal and anthropogenic pollution. Monsoon rainfall was also associated with a surge in antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) in both of these rivers. The river sediments were found to contain&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/monsoon-amplifies-antibiotic-resistance-gene-levels-in-river-water-used-by-residents/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/monsoon-amplifies-antibiotic-resistance-gene-levels-in-river-water-used-by-residents/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Sacred groves show that size isn’t everything when it comes to ecological benefits</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/sacred-groves-show-that-size-isnt-everything-when-it-comes-to-ecological-benefits/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/sacred-groves-show-that-size-isnt-everything-when-it-comes-to-ecological-benefits/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Sep 2026 13:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sacred groves]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/01113806/sacred-grove-collage-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40586</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Encroachment, Environment, Forests, Habitat Fragmentation, and Insects]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scattered across India, sacred groves are often celebrated as relics of ancient forests. Protected for generations through cultural and religious traditions, these patches of native vegetation often serve as refuges for native plants, birds and insects. Now, a new study finds that instances of predators eating caterpillars was consistently higher in Kerala’s sacred groves than [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Scattered across India, sacred groves are often celebrated as relics of ancient forests. Protected for generations through cultural and religious traditions, these patches of native vegetation often serve as refuges for native plants, birds and insects. Now, a new study finds that instances of predators eating caterpillars was consistently higher in Kerala’s sacred groves than in nearby multi-storied home gardens, indicating that this ecological process that helps regulate populations of herbivorous insects, was stronger in sacred groves. “Predation is a fundamental ecological process that shapes community structure and ecosystem functioning,&#8221; says Gopika Viswan, a researcher at the Ecology Lab, Central University of Kerala and the study’s co-author, adding that &#8220;Changes in predation can trigger strong ecological consequences, including trophic cascades and altered ecosystem stability.” “Species richness or abundance studies capture only the structure of ecosystems, not how they function. Ecosystems are sustained not merely by the presence of species, but by interactions among them, such as prey-predator interactions,” she explains. Testing fragmentation The study was conducted in the northern Malabar region of Kerala’s Kasaragod district, where at least 117 sacred groves are scattered across a mosaic of agricultural areas and home gardens, stretching from the Western Ghats to the Arabian Sea. Researchers selected 12 sites located between 8 kilometres and 44 km from the Western Ghats. At each site, they paired one sacred grove with one multi-storied home garden close by, located 1-2 km apart, to compare predator-prey interactions across habitats and varying levels of isolation from the biodiversity hotspot.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/sacred-groves-show-that-size-isnt-everything-when-it-comes-to-ecological-benefits/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Disappearing grasslands impact bird populations, study finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Aug 2026 16:37:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grassland ecology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nilgiri pipit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nilgiris]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/14123726/Nilgiri_Pipit_Anthus_nilghiriensis_from_Anaimalai_hills_IMG_2145-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40133</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biosphere reserves, Birds, Conservation, Ecology, Encroachment, Endangered species, Endemic species, Forests, Grasslands, Habitat Loss, Shola-grasslands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Up in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, the gradual disappearance of the region’s shola grasslands has changed how birds navigate the landscape, highlighting the importance of habitat connectivity in preserving endemic biodiversity. The shola sky islands are unique montane forests separated by rolling grasslands. They’re biologically significant because they host a large number species whose global [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Up in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, the gradual disappearance of the region’s shola grasslands has changed how birds navigate the landscape, highlighting the importance of habitat connectivity in preserving endemic biodiversity. The shola sky islands are unique montane forests separated by rolling grasslands. They’re biologically significant because they host a large number species whose global distributions are concentrated here. But changes in land use dynamics have caused a steady decline in the populations of certain birds in the region. Colonial-era plantations of exotic tree species like Acacia, Eucalyptus and Pinus, which are not native to this region, have invaded several parts of the sky islands. Between 1973 and 2017, the islands lost 516 sq km of grasslands and 63 sq km of forests. These diminished habitats have also exposed the limits of adaptability for birds. “Highlighting how land-use change shapes species’ connectivity provides a window into how species specialised to high-elevation grassland habitat types respond to habitat alterations,” said Chiti Arvind, Postdoctoral Fellow, IISER Tirupati and a co-author of a research paper studying the impacts of land use change in the shola sky islands on bird movements. Shola forests and grasslands in the Nilgiris. Image by Davidvraju via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gains and losses The study covered approximately 2,900 sq km across the two largest sky islands — in the Nilgiris and Palani-Anamalais — at elevations higher than 1400 metres above sea level. The objective was to observe how habitat fragmentation impacted the movements of the seven most&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Free-ranging dogs, changing livelihoods reshape an agro-pastoral landscape</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Aug 2026 12:17:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Phalguni Ranjan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feral dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free ranging dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stray dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/13102613/Image-3-garbage-dump-in-Kaza-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40090</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Conservation, Ecology, Encroachment, Environment, Grazing, Human Wildlife Conflict, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Free-ranging dogs are a growing threat to livestock in Himachal Pradesh’s Upper Spiti, with many herders now considering them a greater risk than traditional predators such as snow leopards and wolves, a new study finds. Communities in this region have long depended on a closely linked agro-pastoral system, where sheep, goats, cattle, yaks, and horses [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Free-ranging dogs are a growing threat to livestock in Himachal Pradesh’s Upper Spiti, with many herders now considering them a greater risk than traditional predators such as snow leopards and wolves, a new study finds. Communities in this region have long depended on a closely linked agro-pastoral system, where sheep, goats, cattle, yaks, and horses support livelihoods, while their manure nourishes farming in the cold desert landscape. However, over the past few decades, rapid socio-economic changes including tourism, market integration, government development schemes, and changing agricultural practices have transformed this traditional system, and subsequently, the landscape itself. More recently, the unexpected and growing rise of free-ranging domestic dogs is increasingly disrupting this delicate balance. The study examines how these interconnected changes have altered livestock populations, exploring what these shifts mean for agriculture, livelihoods, and the future of Spiti. It builds on an existing body of work that has documented socio-economic transitions in the region, notably, the role of changing human activities and the emerging influence exerted by dogs. Declining livestock numbers As part of the study, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews across 27 villages in eight panchayats in Upper Spiti in 2014-15, examining changes in livestock ownership, manure use, herding challenges, livestock losses, and future preferences. Around 72% of respondents reported a decline in livestock between 2003 and 2013, while only 10% reported an increase. Several villages had stopped rearing sheep and goats altogether, and in others, the number of households keeping them had fallen by 50-75%. Spiti’s traditional agro-pastoral system&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Himalayan pheasants face mounting human pressure</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/himalayan-pheasants-face-mounting-human-pressure/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/himalayan-pheasants-face-mounting-human-pressure/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Aug 2026 16:15:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hirra Azmat]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/11140304/Western-Tragopan-4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40051</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Community based conservation, Conservation, Ecology, Encroachment, Grazing, Habitat Loss, Himalayas, and Hunting]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The white-crested kalij pheasant, a relatively adaptable bird, is under increasing pressure from habitat degradation, hunting and other human activities in the forests of the northwestern Himalayas, according to a study that looked at community perceptions of threats to the bird. The bird is listed as least concern by the IUCN Red List, indicating it [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The white-crested kalij pheasant, a relatively adaptable bird, is under increasing pressure from habitat degradation, hunting and other human activities in the forests of the northwestern Himalayas, according to a study that looked at community perceptions of threats to the bird. The bird is listed as least concern by the IUCN Red List, indicating it is common and widespread. Researchers say the findings are an early warning to conserve the region&#8217;s forests and other rarer pheasant species. Pheasants are a group of ground-dwelling birds belonging to the family Phasianidae. The Indian subcontinent is home to 51 pheasant species, of which 20 are endemic to the Indian Himalayas. They occupy habitats ranging from tropical forests to alpine meadows and are among the region&#8217;s most distinctive birds, known for their colourful plumage. Despite their ecological importance as indicators of forest health, many remain poorly studied and face growing threats from habitat loss and hunting. Among these Himalayan pheasants is the white-crested kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos hamiltoni). It is widely distributed across the western Himalayas, including Jammu and Kashmir and is listed in the least concern category in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. More adaptable than many other Himalayan pheasants, it occupies a range of forest habitats but relies on dense understorey vegetation for food, nesting and cover from predators. &#8220;The white-crested kalij pheasant is mainly found in mixed forests, coniferous forests, scrublands and near forest edges close to human habitations. Unlike most other high-altitude pheasant species, it occupies&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/himalayan-pheasants-face-mounting-human-pressure/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Environmental activism in the Nilgiris: too early to rejoice?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/07/environmental-activism-in-the-nilgiris-too-early-to-rejoice/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/07/environmental-activism-in-the-nilgiris-too-early-to-rejoice/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jul 2021 14:55:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nina Varghese]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/07/15134359/Banner-N-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14843</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Ecology, Encroachment, Environment, Environmental Politics, Forests, Grasslands, and Shola-grasslands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The past two decades have seen an increase in environmental activism in the Nilgiris, as well as other parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It has evolved from protests, dharnas and the effective harnessing of science, technology and social media to mobilise people. Activists have also taken judicial recourse to protect the environment, said Siddhartha [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The past two decades have seen an increase in environmental activism in the Nilgiris, as well as other parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It has evolved from protests, dharnas and the effective harnessing of science, technology and social media to mobilise people. Activists have also taken judicial recourse to protect the environment, said Siddhartha Krishnan, an environmental sociologist at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE). On June 9, the Madras High Court had set the benchmark for dealing with the alleged encroachment of forest land in the Nilgiris. Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy of the Madras High Court said that “not even an inch of forest land must be encroached upon”. The petitioner, S. Prabhakaran had approached the court and drew attention to the encroachment of forest land by a private resort that is under construction near Naduvattom town. In his petition, Prabhakaran said that this encroachment has led to the destruction of the habitat, damage to the ecosystem, deforestation and disruption in the natural flow of water. He also mentioned that the resort had laid pipelines to extract water from the forest and urged the court to order a survey at the location to demarcate the forest land. The Madras High Court instructed the district collector and the forest department to inspect the spot and retrieve the encroached land. The court directed that copies of the petition are to be forwarded to the Advocate-General of the State, to emphasise the seriousness of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/07/environmental-activism-in-the-nilgiris-too-early-to-rejoice/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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						<item>
					<title>As Dharamshala grows, the city eats into the forest</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/as-dharamshala-grows-the-city-eats-into-the-forest/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/as-dharamshala-grows-the-city-eats-into-the-forest/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Jun 2021 13:01:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Meenakshi Kapoor]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/06/25104804/Banner-HP-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14642</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Encroachment, Environment, Environmental Crime, Environmental Law, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“This is just the tip of the iceberg. The nexus between builders and government officials runs deep,&#8221; said Ghazala Abdullah, an environment activist based in McLeodganj, near Dharamshala in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, when asked about the hotel and restaurant structure erected on forest land in McLeodganj in violation of the Forest Conservation [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“This is just the tip of the iceberg. The nexus between builders and government officials runs deep,&#8221; said Ghazala Abdullah, an environment activist based in McLeodganj, near Dharamshala in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, when asked about the hotel and restaurant structure erected on forest land in McLeodganj in violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. In January this year, the Supreme Court upheld the 2016 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), India’s green court, which had directed that the illegal construction be demolished. In this case, two tracts of forestland, flanking the main road as one enters McLeodganj from Dharamshala, were originally diverted for a parking lot and a bus stand, both ‘public purpose’ projects, in 1997 and 2001, respectively. The construction began in 2005. However, in 2006, the state government signed a lease deed with the Himachal Pradesh Bus Stand Management and Development Authority (HPBSMDA), which in turn awarded the construction work to Prashasti Surya Construction Company. Subsequently, the scope of the project too widened to include the construction of a hotel-cum-restaurant. The state government did not seek a change in land use and user agency from the central environment ministry. The NGT, in 2016, held the HPSBMDA and the state government responsible, ordered them to pay compensation and demolition of any structure in addition to the bus stand and the parking lot. The District and Session Judge, Kangra at Dharamshala, who was asked to hold an inquiry by the Supreme Court, too noted in his&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/as-dharamshala-grows-the-city-eats-into-the-forest/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Five Kochi buildings to be razed down for CRZ violations</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/five-kochi-buildings-to-be-razed-down-for-crz-violations/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/five-kochi-buildings-to-be-razed-down-for-crz-violations/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 May 2019 21:36:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aathira Perinchery]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/05/20210006/kochi4-e1558366797244-768x511.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=5308</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Coast, Encroachment, Habitat Loss, Mangroves, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A gentle breeze nudges the leaves of a solitary mangrove tree struggling to find foothold along the banks of the Kochi backwaters near northern Maradu in Kerala’s port city. It&#8217;s one of the last mangrove trees on this stretch where the Champakkara canal meets the Chilavannur lake – most others have been hacked down, or [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[A gentle breeze nudges the leaves of a solitary mangrove tree struggling to find foothold along the banks of the Kochi backwaters near northern Maradu in Kerala’s port city. It&#8217;s one of the last mangrove trees on this stretch where the Champakkara canal meets the Chilavannur lake – most others have been hacked down, or taken over by cemented bunds. Across the canal and in the background loom two high rises; one named Golden Kayaloram is more than ten years old. Despite the concrete jungle, there is something peaceful about the ripples that form on the dark blue waters of the canal and the lake, a view that Golden Kayaloram&#8217;s residents wake up to every day. Yet there is nothing peaceful about the debate going on in the common room at Golden Kayaloram on May 14. Its residents are in a state of shock: theirs is one of the five buildings that are to be razed to the ground for violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. In its judgement on May 8, India&#8217;s Supreme Court ruled that the Golden Kayaloram, Alfa Serene, Jains Coral Cove, Holiday Heritage and H2O Holy Faith apartments, all located on Maradu island in south Ernakulam, should be demolished in a month. However, while the judgement may be hailed as a strong statement against illegal constructions, will it translate into action? And would this suffice to curb the numerous CRZ violations that the burgeoning Kochi city and its outskirts are seeing? What the verdict says The&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/five-kochi-buildings-to-be-razed-down-for-crz-violations/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Once in a blue bloom: Kerala’s famed Neelakurinji set for rare mass bloom</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/07/once-in-a-blue-bloom-keralas-famed-neelakurinji-set-for-rare-mass-bloom/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/07/once-in-a-blue-bloom-keralas-famed-neelakurinji-set-for-rare-mass-bloom/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jul 2018 12:14:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ajith LawrenceHaritha John]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human encroachment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kerala]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Threat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tourism]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/07/12000100/Pic-11-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=1738</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Encroachment, Mountains, Plants, Protected Areas, Rivers, Shola-grasslands, and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Starting late July, the Anamalai hills near Munnar in Kerala will be resplendent, clad in a purplish blue carpet. The famed neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) will burst into flower – a phenomenon that occurs once in 12 years. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the Munnar hills to behold the spectacle that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Starting late July, the Anamalai hills near Munnar in Kerala will be resplendent, clad in a purplish blue carpet. The famed neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) will burst into flower – a phenomenon that occurs once in 12 years. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the Munnar hills to behold the spectacle that lasts up until October. Munnar is home to the highest concentration of neelakurinji plants in the country — spread over 3000 hectares of rolling hills. The spectacular mass flowering of neelakurinji happens only once in 12 years — each shrub reproduces once in its life time and dies after flowering. It takes another 12 years for the seeds to sprout again and grow up to 30 to 60 centimetres high, for another glorious bloom. The neelakurinji belongs to the genus Strobilanthes, which is a tropical plant species found in Asia and Australia. There are about 450 species of Strobilanthes in the world, of which 146 are found in India and of them, about 43, in Kerala. The blooming of neelakurunji this year has ensured the fourth most important place for the Western Ghats in the Lonely Planet&#8217;s 2018 Best in Asia. &nbsp; A Nilgiri tahr grazes amidst kurinji shrubs. Photo by Prasad Ambattu. According to Prasad Ambattu, a journalist and a resident of Munnar, there are two 12-year cycles simultaneously going on in the Anamalai hills. In one cycle, the last neelakurinji bloom was in 2006 and the next one is now, in 2018. In&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/07/once-in-a-blue-bloom-keralas-famed-neelakurinji-set-for-rare-mass-bloom/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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