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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<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>
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					<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;]]]>
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																					<content:encoded>
							<![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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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<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>
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					<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;]]]>
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																					<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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														</item>
						<item>
					<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>
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					<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>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![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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														</item>
						<item>
					<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>
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					<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>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![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>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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