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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/fires/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>Rising temperatures, not just human activity, drives Himalayan forest fires</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/rising-temperatures-not-just-human-activity-drives-himalayan-forest-fires/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/rising-temperatures-not-just-human-activity-drives-himalayan-forest-fires/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Jun 2026 14:28:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[temperature rise]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/25132719/AP22143608738141-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38810</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Environment, Fires, Forest Fires, Forests, Himalayas, Impacts of Climate Change, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Forest fires in the Himalayas typically occur between November and June, during the drier months. However, out-of-season and higher elevation fires have sparked concerns about their effective management in a changing climate. A new study from the Western Himalayas provides more clues into the underlying factors driving forest fires in the region. A higher frequency [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Forest fires in the Himalayas typically occur between November and June, during the drier months. However, out-of-season and higher elevation fires have sparked concerns about their effective management in a changing climate. A new study from the Western Himalayas provides more clues into the underlying factors driving forest fires in the region. A higher frequency of forest fires was associated with a decline in floristic diversity and the promotion of fire-dominant plant species in Uttarakhand — the most fire-prone state in the Indian Western Himalayas, according to the Forest Survey of India. Fires in the Himalayas are also particularly worrisome because they threaten to erode carbon stocks. Including the Eastern Himalayas, the Himalayan forests are estimated to hold 3,273.1 million tonnes of carbon. For the Western Himalaya study, researchers from the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, and Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, considered a host of bioclimatic, anthropogenic, and topical variables that could influence forest fire dynamics in the region. “What we tried to do was study 10 years of past data to understand how these variables interact with each other.  Temperature had the biggest edge out of all of them,” said Amit Kumar Verma, a senior technical officer and faculty member with the Forest Research Institute (FRI) who authored the study. Adding fuel to fire The study’s findings add to a growing body of evidence of forests’ sensitivity to environmental fluctuations — and temperature in particular. Though most forest fires are triggered by human activity in India, every one degree&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/rising-temperatures-not-just-human-activity-drives-himalayan-forest-fires/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Winter forest fires signal a shift in fire season</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/winter-forest-fires-signal-in-shift-in-fire-season/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/winter-forest-fires-signal-in-shift-in-fire-season/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Apr 2026 10:25:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Farzana Nisar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Temperate Forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[temperature rise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[winter]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/31153729/Image-6-e1774952437827-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37544</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Environment, Fires, Forest Fires, Forests, Himalayas, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a February evening, a blaze spread across the forested slopes of the Zabarwan mountains overlooking Srinagar, casting a faint glow along the ridges. For many residents, this sight of forests burning in the middle of winter was unsettling, and unusual. Fires are now being reported in Kashmir in December and January, months that were [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a February evening, a blaze spread across the forested slopes of the Zabarwan mountains overlooking Srinagar, casting a faint glow along the ridges. For many residents, this sight of forests burning in the middle of winter was unsettling, and unusual. Fires are now being reported in Kashmir in December and January, months that were once largely considered fire-free. Forest fires in Kashmir are typically associated with the warmer months when dry vegetation and rising temperatures fuel their spread. Winter, by contrast, has kept the forest damp with snow. However, there seems to be a shift in this pattern. In recent months, forest fire incidents have been reported across several parts of Kashmir, from northern districts to central and southern forest belts. Satellite-based fire alerts and official records also suggest the problem is growing. According to Irfan Rasool Wani, Chief Conservator of Forests, Kashmir, changing winter conditions are making forests more vulnerable to fires. “There has been a deficit in precipitation from around 2020 onwards,” he said. “Because of this, conditions are becoming increasingly favourable for winter fires.” He explained that the winter months normally bring moisture that keeps forest floors damp. “December to February is usually the period when we expect rainfall or snowfall. But when precipitation is low, the forest floor dries out,” he added. “Dry grass and accumulated leaf litter then become a medium for fire, and even a small spark, such as a cigarette butt, can trigger a blaze.” A forest fire rages across Zabarwan hills&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/winter-forest-fires-signal-in-shift-in-fire-season/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Fallen pine needles could help India cut carbon emissions</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/fallen-pine-needles-could-help-india-cut-carbon-emissions/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/fallen-pine-needles-could-help-india-cut-carbon-emissions/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Aug 2025 11:32:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biofuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biofuels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pine]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/21102530/Pinus_wallichiana_at_VanDusen_Botanical_Garden-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34251</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Coal, Energy, Fires, Forest Fires, and Green Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every year, an estimated 7.47 million tonnes of pine needles fall across the Indian Himalayan region, creating a fire hazard that climate change is making deadlier. A new study shows these needles could instead become fuel, replacing 4.7 million tonnes of coal and generating electricity to power the region. Pine needle biochar can be co-fired [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every year, an estimated 7.47 million tonnes of pine needles fall across the Indian Himalayan region, creating a fire hazard that climate change is making deadlier. A new study shows these needles could instead become fuel, replacing 4.7 million tonnes of coal and generating electricity to power the region. Pine needle biochar can be co-fired with coal in power plants across Himalayan states — to generate 6.4 terawatt-hours of electricity and cut carbon emissions by 5.8 million tonnes annually, while reducing forest fires, according to the study. The findings are from a research paper published in the journal Bioresource Technology Reports in March 2025 by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. The study addresses a serious concern across the region. Uttarakhand alone recorded over 11,000 forest fire incidents from November 2023 to June 2024. The scientists found that pine needle biochar produced at 600°C with 10°C per minute heating rate shows good potential for coal replacement, because of its high carbon content. The findings of this study could be used to create new jobs and solve frequent forest fires while drastically reducing the share of coal in power plants, in line with India&#8217;s net-zero targets by 2070. “The novel aspect of the research is linking biochar production to power plants and quantifying carbon benefits,” said Priyanka Kaushal, professor at the Centre for Rural Development and Technology at IIT Delhi. She explained the dual benefits of using pine needle biochar &#8212; “One is replacing the dirty fossil coal&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/fallen-pine-needles-could-help-india-cut-carbon-emissions/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Fire in the mountain sparks debate on jhum safety</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/fire-in-the-mountain-sparks-debate-on-jhum-safety/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/fire-in-the-mountain-sparks-debate-on-jhum-safety/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jun 2025 15:42:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Barasha Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildfires]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/06/26151215/Lone_Reaper-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33337</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Mizoram]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Fires, and Forest Fires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a fire raged through Mizoram’s Phawngpui National Park, one of the state’s most critical biodiversity hotspots, for 17 consecutive days. According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), the blaze erupted at 19 different locations within the park, charring nearly one-ninth of its 50 square kilometre-area. Among the most affected zones [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a fire raged through Mizoram’s Phawngpui National Park, one of the state’s most critical biodiversity hotspots, for 17 consecutive days. According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), the blaze erupted at 19 different locations within the park, charring nearly one-ninth of its 50 square kilometre-area. Among the most affected zones were the northern slope of Mount Phawngpui, Mizoram’s highest peak, and the ecologically significant Far Pak grasslands. The fire was traced back to slash-and-burn activities at a jhum cultivation site near Archhuang, a village located close to the Park’s boundary. According to the Deputy Conservator of Forests for the Chhimtuipui Wildlife Division (Lawngtlai), R. Lalruatfela, at the time of the incident, the forest floor had developed a thick layer of humus due to the absence of any controlled burning or natural fires over the past five to six years. “This build-up fuelled the fire. Fortunately, there were no wildlife casualties and natural regeneration is picking up in the affected areas,” he informs Mongabay India. Creating fire lines is crucial and remains the only method known to effectively prevent fires from spreading from jhum fields into forest areas, according to Lalruatfela. “In this case, the Archhuang Village Council failed to create firebreaks and implement the mandatory preventive measures before igniting the fields. It has been penalised ₹1 lakh under the Wildlife (Protection) Act,” he points out. Grasslands in Mizoram’s Phawngpui National Park, one of the state’s most critical biodiversity hotspots. Earlier this year, a fire blazed here&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/fire-in-the-mountain-sparks-debate-on-jhum-safety/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Wildfires rage amid dry weather and heat waves</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/wildfires-rage-amid-dry-weather-and-heat-waves/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/wildfires-rage-amid-dry-weather-and-heat-waves/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Apr 2025 14:57:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Max Martin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat waves]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/04/22190055/Fire_on_dry_pond-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32313</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Fires, and Forest Fires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Following an unusually dry winter and early heat waves, many forests across India’s northern mountains and central plains are ablaze. Experts warn that shifting climate patterns combined with human activity are driving longer, more intense wildfire seasons, with growing ecological and climatic fallout. Since early April, satellite data from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Following an unusually dry winter and early heat waves, many forests across India’s northern mountains and central plains are ablaze. Experts warn that shifting climate patterns combined with human activity are driving longer, more intense wildfire seasons, with growing ecological and climatic fallout. Since early April, satellite data from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has recorded thousands of forest fire incidents, with the central state of Madhya Pradesh reporting the highest number — 2,754 incidents between April 11 and 18. Maharashtra followed with 1,766 fires, Chhattisgarh with 876, and Odisha with 603. These figures mark a continuation of a broader trend. Since November 1, 2024, Madhya Pradesh has recorded more than 21,000 fires. Nationwide, fire alerts peaked in March with over 84,000 incidents. Meanwhile, fires have also been reported in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand in the north. The fires are degrading forests, threatening biodiversity, and accelerating desertification, FSI scientists note. “A dry winter sets the stage, but there are different reasons for fires in different regions,” said Sunil Chandra, deputy director at FSI, while talking to Mongabay India. While it is hard to determine the triggers of individual fire events, foresters in India and several studies say that 90% of the fires are started by human beings. “People living on the fringes of the forests and communities dependent on forests often start them,” Chandra said. A forest fire in Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh. Experts warn that shifting climate patterns combined with human activity are driving longer, more&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/wildfires-rage-amid-dry-weather-and-heat-waves/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Wildfires and the forgotten science of community forest management [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/wildfires-and-the-forgotten-science-of-community-forest-management-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/wildfires-and-the-forgotten-science-of-community-forest-management-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Feb 2025 12:41:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pranab R. ChoudhuryRanjan Kumar Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Fires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildfires]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/25111955/DSC4014-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31618</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fires, Forest Fires, Forestry, and Indigenous Peoples]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[California’s wildfires are getting worse each year. Beyond the smoke, however, a deeper crisis is unfolding: the loss of community stewardship. Indigenous communities in California once managed forests through controlled burning, preventing fuel build-up. Controlled burns were used to clear underbrush and promote healthy forest growth. But modern forestry practices, globally, have outlawed these practices [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[California’s wildfires are getting worse each year. Beyond the smoke, however, a deeper crisis is unfolding: the loss of community stewardship. Indigenous communities in California once managed forests through controlled burning, preventing fuel build-up. Controlled burns were used to clear underbrush and promote healthy forest growth. But modern forestry practices, globally, have outlawed these practices and disrupted the ecological balance. The current ‘scientific’ fire suppression policies allow dead matter to accumulate, creating a tinderbox that ignites with devastating consequences. Restoring community stewardship is the key to preventing future disasters. Community forestry in India has good examples of this type of stewardship. Modern forestry and the disconnect from nature Shaped by colonial and industrial paradigms, we often view forests as fortressed static entities. We see them as zones of timber extraction, wildlife conservation, or carbon sequestration; and believe that giving local communities individual forest rights (IFR) would lead to deforestation. The extant belief is that forest people will prioritise economic gains over ecological balance. The reality, however, is far more nuanced. Traditional communities that have lived in forests for generations possess, more often than not, a symbiotic relationship with the land. Care is deeply ingrained and reinforced by adaptive ecological sensibilities accumulated and passed down through centuries. By excluding these communities from forest and its management and by downgrading them to the role of forest labour, we have disrupted this delicate balance. Wherever Europeans settled, whether California or Australia, indigenous peoples were removed from forests. This led to the erasure of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/wildfires-and-the-forgotten-science-of-community-forest-management-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Brahmapuram fumes over waste</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/03/brahmapuram-fumes-over-waste/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/03/brahmapuram-fumes-over-waste/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Mar 2023 17:20:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Reema Abraham]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/03/13121127/Brahmapuram-fiire-Day-one-02-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=22068</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Fires, Pollution, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Twelve days on, smoke is still billowing. On March 2, 25-ft-high ‘hills’ of garbage, extending over 40 acres at the Brahmapuram waste plant in Kochi caught fire, blanketing Kerala’s commercial capital with toxic smoke. The accumulated garbage, with legacy waste of 16 years, had huge amounts of plastic within it. The blaze spewed out dioxins, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Twelve days on, smoke is still billowing. On March 2, 25-ft-high ‘hills’ of garbage, extending over 40 acres at the Brahmapuram waste plant in Kochi caught fire, blanketing Kerala’s commercial capital with toxic smoke. The accumulated garbage, with legacy waste of 16 years, had huge amounts of plastic within it. The blaze spewed out dioxins, furans and many of the Persistent Organic Pollutants banned by the UN sponsored Stockholm Convention on POPs. Unlike the previous fires at the garbage site that could be controlled, this particular fire has over 200 firemen working round the clock, spraying 40,000 litres of water per second into 4-feet deep pits that were dug out with excavators, in attempts to douse it. Navy and police personnel, 50 civil defence volunteers and 35 Kochi corporation employees were also involved in containing the fire. While the blaze was eventually contained after 11 days, the smoke continues. Created with DataWrapper. Even on the tenth day after the fire broke out, Kochi’s residents woke up once again with discomfort &#8211; watering eyes, headaches and breathing difficulties. Suresh P.N., who grew up in what was once a quaint and beautiful village full of paddy fields, rivers and streams, before the waste plant came up, said people in the neighbourhood are facing major health issues. “My daughter started vomiting and later developed respiratory issues. She has been ill for the last four days. I wake up in the middle of the night with breathing difficulties, and now, my son is also&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/03/brahmapuram-fumes-over-waste/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] What students and citizens can do about forest fires in Kodaikanal</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/commentary-what-students-and-citizens-can-do-about-forest-fires-in-kodaikanal/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/commentary-what-students-and-citizens-can-do-about-forest-fires-in-kodaikanal/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Jun 2022 10:08:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikil Sankar Narayanan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grasslands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Ghats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildfires]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/06/27130510/800px-Palani_Hill_from_the_nearby_highway_2-e1656315337847-768x331.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18862</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fires and Forest Fires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Palani Hills, located in the east of the Western Ghats, is about 80 km wide and 25 km long. Approximately 71 percent of the Palani Hills is covered by shola forests and grasslands. Holding more than 5000 acres of wetlands and beyond 200 animal species, this hill station truly befits the name, “The Princess [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The Palani Hills, located in the east of the Western Ghats, is about 80 km wide and 25 km long. Approximately 71 percent of the Palani Hills is covered by shola forests and grasslands. Holding more than 5000 acres of wetlands and beyond 200 animal species, this hill station truly befits the name, “The Princess of Hills”. However, since the past few decades, recurring and threatening wildfires have caused significant and severe damage to wildlife, forests and wetlands in the region. Since there have been no recorded cases of explicit impacts of wildfires on wildlife, the issue is often taken lightly without thoughtful consideration. However, wildfires not only harm flora (trees, herbs, grasslands, and so on), but they also create a long-term impact on the lives of existing fauna. One perilous fire breakout that alarmed the citizens of the Palani Hills was recorded recently, on March 13, 2022. The massive wildfire caused large swaths of forest land to be reduced to embers within days. Although forest departments and police officials have been looking for solutions to forest fires and examine the cause of the recurring forest fires, fires continue to take place frequently that excessively damage forests and grasslands. The concerned government departments are indeed enforcing acts to prevent such breakouts in the future, however, citizens too can have a role to play in this. As a student of Kodaikanal International School, I planned to examine the details and the root causes of forest fires in Kodaikanal by visiting nearby&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/commentary-what-students-and-citizens-can-do-about-forest-fires-in-kodaikanal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Landfill fire foregrounds improper waste management in Chandigarh</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/landfill-fire-foregrounds-improper-waste-management-in-chandigarh/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/landfill-fire-foregrounds-improper-waste-management-in-chandigarh/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Apr 2022 16:14:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vivek Gupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landfill]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waste management]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/04/25141611/Chandigarh-Fire-dept-dousing-fire-at-dadumajra-dumpsite-in-chandigarh-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17992</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fires and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The capital city Delhi’s giant garbage mountains often come into the limelight, reflecting India’s poor waste management situation. But a similar scene, not too far away from the capital, in Chandigarh, is another glaring example of the country&#8217;s perpetual struggle to manage waste and stop illegal dumping of waste. Chandigarh in fact has a legacy of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The capital city Delhi’s giant garbage mountains often come into the limelight, reflecting India’s poor waste management situation. But a similar scene, not too far away from the capital, in Chandigarh, is another glaring example of the country&#8217;s perpetual struggle to manage waste and stop illegal dumping of waste. Chandigarh in fact has a legacy of innovation from waste. The planned city, was developed by famous French architect Le Corbusier, who set an example when, in the 1950s, he converted a dirty sewer into a thriving lake. Later, a government employee, Nek Chand Saini, developed a sculpture garden in Chandigarh, now famous the world over as Rock Garden, using industrial and home waste besides other discarded items. Now, however, a garbage dump is growing in the Dadumajra village on its periphery. The waste site was in the news recently after it caught fire earlier this month. The fire in Chandigarh on April 7 engulfed the surrounding areas in thick smog with a large number of residents complaining of acute breathing problems and skin irritation. There had been a similar fire incident at the dumpsite in 2021 that lasted a week and covered half of the city in a haze, hindering visibility and causing respiratory issues. The garbage dump at Dadumajra. A fire tender dousing fire from the garbage mountains at Dadumajra in Chandigarh. Photo by Special Arrangement. An official of Chandigarh Pollution Control Board (CPCC) told Mongabay-India that the fires are very common at dumpsites especially during the summer season because of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/landfill-fire-foregrounds-improper-waste-management-in-chandigarh/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Chhattisgarh forest fires continue while forest staff remain on strike</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/chhattisgarh-forest-fire-rages-on-while-forest-staff-remain-on-strike/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/chhattisgarh-forest-fire-rages-on-while-forest-staff-remain-on-strike/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Apr 2022 13:31:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Alok Prakash Putul]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chhattisgarh]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Fires]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/03/15132524/similipal3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17803</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Chhattisgarh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fires and Forest Fires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On March 27, the news of a forest fire at Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan in north-west came to light. By the time the news reached the concerned officials at Baleta-Prithvipura outpost in the Akbarpur Range, it was quite late. The forest field staff was quickly deployed to tackle the fire. Residents of villages also [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On March 27, the news of a forest fire at Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan in north-west came to light. By the time the news reached the concerned officials at Baleta-Prithvipura outpost in the Akbarpur Range, it was quite late. The forest field staff was quickly deployed to tackle the fire. Residents of villages also joined hands to help. The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) arrived to join the efforts. In addition, there was assistance from the Indian Air Force (IAF) which used its MIG-17 helicopter to douse the fire. The state forest secretary arrived in Alwar to take control of the affairs while Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked to Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to offer support. Overall, over 400 people worked for six days to control the forest fire that had spread over an area of around 20 kilometres. However, the forests of Chhattisgarh are not as lucky. As fire rages in the central-eastern state, personnel and union support is scarce. It&#8217;s forest fire season and fires have been reported in recent weeks from Sarguja to Sukma in Chhattisgarh, as a result of which the flora and fauna are impacted. Photos and videos of elephants, leopards and other animals escaping the fire and running towards nearby human habitations are widespread on social media. But as the fire continues, sufficient field staff of the forest department that would be the first in line to act on the fire, is not present. About ten&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/chhattisgarh-forest-fire-rages-on-while-forest-staff-remain-on-strike/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>With more forest fires and an ongoing pandemic, forest dwellers feel the heat this year</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/with-more-forest-fires-and-an-ongoing-pandemic-forest-dwellers-feel-the-heat-this-year/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/with-more-forest-fires-and-an-ongoing-pandemic-forest-dwellers-feel-the-heat-this-year/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 May 2021 13:10:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Fires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forestry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[No categories Biosphere reserves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Temperate Forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tropical Forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/05/28122728/forest-fire-kaziranga-e1622187166115-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14286</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, and Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Fires, Forest Fires, Forestry, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Temperate Forests, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“I have never seen this kind of a forest fire before. This year, the fire entered our village, and I could see that it was just 100 meters away from my home. Those three days of fire were horrific for us,” Brind Prajapati, a forest dweller who hails from Bamera village of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“I have never seen this kind of a forest fire before. This year, the fire entered our village, and I could see that it was just 100 meters away from my home. Those three days of fire were horrific for us,” Brind Prajapati, a forest dweller who hails from Bamera village of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh, recounted the fire incident that took place in the forest area around a month ago.  Prajapati and his family usually go to the forest to collect minor forest produce (MFP), but the fire, which went on for some days, hampered their work which in turn impacted their earnings. “My village falls under Pataur range of the forest which was badly hit by the fire. Villagers could not collect Mahua flowers as expected and incurred huge losses,” said Prajapati. His family usually collects three quintals of Mahua flowers in this season, but this time they could not meet the target, he said.  This season was important for forest dwellers as their livelihood was already hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.  “Villagers usually migrate to cities in search of jobs, but due to the lockdown, that option is not available. Mahua flowers and other minor forest produce were our last hope after losing jobs due to lockdown,” added Prajapati.  States like Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, and Odisha witnessed massive forest fires this year. Increasing fire trends can be seen in data as well with the Forest Survey of India (FSI)’s system sending fire alerts&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/with-more-forest-fires-and-an-ongoing-pandemic-forest-dwellers-feel-the-heat-this-year/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Communities or forest department? Similipal fires rake up debate on ownership of National Park</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/03/communities-or-forest-department-similipal-fires-rake-up-debate-on-ownership-of-national-park/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/03/communities-or-forest-department-similipal-fires-rake-up-debate-on-ownership-of-national-park/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Mar 2021 14:48:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pragati Prava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/03/15132524/similipal3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=13543</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Odisha]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Fires, Forest Fires, Forest Rights Act, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As Similipal National Park and Tiger Reserve in Odisha burned over the past month, the debate over whether ownership of the park should be in the hands of the forest department or the local community, came to the fore. Similipal, Asia’s second-largest biosphere reserve, located in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district has been burning since February 11. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[As Similipal National Park and Tiger Reserve in Odisha burned over the past month, the debate over whether ownership of the park should be in the hands of the forest department or the local community, came to the fore. Similipal, Asia’s second-largest biosphere reserve, located in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district has been burning since February 11. A recent statement by the Forest Department notes that the fire is under control. While rainfall on March 10 brought relief to some parts of the National Park,  many areas are still burning. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) data suggests that between February 11 and March 15, a total of 348 fire points have been detected inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), 1242 in Baripada Division, 964 in Karanjia Division and 926 in Rairangpur Division. The biosphere reserve has four divisions – STR (South and North), Baripada, Karanjia and Rairangpur. While the local residents, conservationists and concerned intellectuals raise serious ecological concerns about this wildfire, the Forest Department (FD) says the instances of fire are very common to deciduous sal forests of the STR. Regional Chief Conservator of Forests M. Yogajayananda, who is also the Field Director of the STR said, “Even though wildfire is very common to Similipal, the instances have increased this year. Absence of rainfall and dry leaf litters combined with wind and soaring temperature fuelled spread.” Wildfire engulfed the forest in the buffer area of the Similipal Tiger Reserve near Karanjia in the first week of March. Photo by Special&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/03/communities-or-forest-department-similipal-fires-rake-up-debate-on-ownership-of-national-park/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The rolling ashes from Dzukou hills write back</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/the-rolling-ashes-from-dzukou-hills-write-back/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/the-rolling-ashes-from-dzukou-hills-write-back/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Feb 2021 13:16:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rini Barman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/02/19110603/IMG-20210217-WA0007-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=13296</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Manipur and Nagaland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Fires, Forest Fires, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The recent Dzukou valley fire, which was doused after two weeks, has raised an alert for several groups of people – local inhabitants, tourists, stakeholders, environmentalists and more. The 80-90 sq km (around 20,000 acres) valley, which lies in the border region of Nagaland and Manipur, has been susceptible to forest fire since the early [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The recent Dzukou valley fire, which was doused after two weeks, has raised an alert for several groups of people – local inhabitants, tourists, stakeholders, environmentalists and more. The 80-90 sq km (around 20,000 acres) valley, which lies in the border region of Nagaland and Manipur, has been susceptible to forest fire since the early 2000s, and this time, since December 29, when the fire was reportedly seen, 200 acres alone were reduced to ashes. Located at an altitude of 2452 m above sea level, behind Nagaland’s Japfu Peak in northeast India, its biodiverse and rich landscape has been in the media headlines quite often for tourism and allied adventures like trekking. Dzukou means the ‘valley of cold water’ in the Mao language. The Angamis (an ethnic Naga group) call it the ‘silent valley’, the Meiteis (an ethnic Manipuri group) call it the ‘valley of flowers’. It is home to the rare pink lily Lilium mackliniae. As large-scale fires recur over the years, the greatest loss is that of endangered and vulnerable plant life, wildlife and newly discovered species of birds for whom the valley acts as a crucial habitat. With the current fire, as the accurate reason remains unconfirmed, the valley is now under assessment by teams of forest and state officials and researchers. While head officials of NSDMA (Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority) like Johnny Ruangmei have commented that the current fire has been caused by the dry season, there are few reports on how an increase in air&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/the-rolling-ashes-from-dzukou-hills-write-back/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Commentary] Alternate perspectives on forest fires in India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/commentary-alternate-perspectives-on-forest-fires-in-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/commentary-alternate-perspectives-on-forest-fires-in-india/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Feb 2020 11:02:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bharath Sundaram]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/02/11195932/1280px-Bandipur_fires_2019-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8597</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fires, Forest Fires, Indigenous Peoples, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A recent article in Mongabay-India about how to deal with forest fires in India argues that fire suppression should be replaced by fire prevention with the help of local communities. These recommendations are overly simplistic and misleading for three reasons. The first, is similar to the &#8216;Africa is a country&#8217; fallacy perpetuated elsewhere. There are [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[A recent article in Mongabay-India about how to deal with forest fires in India argues that fire suppression should be replaced by fire prevention with the help of local communities. These recommendations are overly simplistic and misleading for three reasons. The first, is similar to the &#8216;Africa is a country&#8217; fallacy perpetuated elsewhere. There are several forest types in India that are prone to fires. None of them respond in uniform ways to fire. The second, is that the article continues to wrongly promote a colonial mindset of viewing all fires as detrimental and destructive. Third, the article continues a troubling tendency to refer to forest-dwellers in the third person, and ignoring easily-accessible, first-person accounts describing the role played by forest fires in their ecological and cultural landscapes. The Indian subcontinent has a wide variety of forest types owing to unique biogeographical and topography. The effects of fires on forests depend entirely on what kind of a forest it is. Does the fire occur in an evergreen rainforest, a semi-evergreen coniferous forest, an oak woodland, a grassland savannah, a moist deciduous forest or a scrub forest? The answer to this question is important because the effects of fire dramatically varies in each of these types. Evergreen forests, which have not been exposed over evolutionary time to fire, cannot withstand even low-intensity fire. On the other hand, dry deciduous forests and grassland savannas have been shaped by fire over millions of years, with a clear fire regime. The Indian subcontinent has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/commentary-alternate-perspectives-on-forest-fires-in-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Most forest fires in India on account of human activity</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/most-forest-fires-in-india-on-account-of-human-activity/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/most-forest-fires-in-india-on-account-of-human-activity/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jan 2020 12:58:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kanchan Srivastava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/01/21172630/forestfire1_UP-forest-dept-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Flood and drought]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Fires, Forest Fires, Forests, Temperate Forests, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The fires raging across Australia from September 2019 and the ones in California in 2018 have brought global attention to wildfires in the recent years. Around 6.3 million hectares of forests in Australia and around 0.72 million hectares of forest and grass land in California were destroyed by fires. Miles away, in India, wildfires have [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The fires raging across Australia from September 2019 and the ones in California in 2018 have brought global attention to wildfires in the recent years. Around 6.3 million hectares of forests in Australia and around 0.72 million hectares of forest and grass land in California were destroyed by fires. Miles away, in India, wildfires have raged on in the past few years as well, causing extensive damage. In February 2018, it took five days and the mobilisation of huge resources including Indian Air Force choppers to douse the fire at Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka. An estimated 4,800 hectares of forests were lost in the incident. The very next month, in March 2018, a group of trekkers got caught in a fatal wildfire at Theni, Tamil Nadu. The state went on to impose a ban on trekking in forests between February 15 to April 15, considered as fire season. According to the India State of Forest Report 2019, over 30,000 incidents of forest fires were reported in India in 2019. Additionally, more than 36 percent of Indian forest cover (657,000 sq km area) is prone to frequent forest fires and of this, 10 percent are highly prone, according to a Forest Survey of India (FSI) report on fire prone forest areas. Around 21 percent of the total forest cover is highly to extremely fire prone, adds the latest forest survey. The dry deciduous forests, which receive low rainfall, face 5-6 dry months and have nutrient poor soil, such as those&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/most-forest-fires-in-india-on-account-of-human-activity/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
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					<title>Why Punjab failed to douse farm fires</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/why-punjabs-farm-fires-continue-to-burn/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/why-punjabs-farm-fires-continue-to-burn/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jan 2020 00:35:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manu Moudgil]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/01/06124329/farmfire1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8150</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Punjab]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture and Fires]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Last month, on December 11, farmers in Punjab held three officials of the state agriculture department hostage at Kabar Bachha village in Ferozepur district. They alleged that an insect, the pink stem borer, had infested their wheat crop after they followed the advice of the officials to not burn paddy straw, a common post-harvest practice [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Last month, on December 11, farmers in Punjab held three officials of the state agriculture department hostage at Kabar Bachha village in Ferozepur district. They alleged that an insect, the pink stem borer, had infested their wheat crop after they followed the advice of the officials to not burn paddy straw, a common post-harvest practice in Punjab and neighbouring states.  “We had to bear a loss of 4 quintal per acre in yield besides extra cost of Rs. 500-1,000 per acre for the pesticides that had to be used,” said Gurwinder Singh Dhaliwal, a farmer from Rameanah village in Faridkot district who cultivated wheat without burning paddy straw last year. Punjab, along with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, garners attention during the paddy harvesting season every year, starting in October. Farmers put their fields on fire to quickly clear off the straw left behind after paddy harvesting and before cultivating wheat. The short window between harvesting of paddy and sowing of wheat along with the high cost of manual or mechanical management of straw, forces farmers to set fire to their fields. This year, the window shrank further due to late rains and floods that delayed paddy harvesting. The burning is often blamed for the severe air pollution in Delhi during this season. The share of farm fires to the capital’s pollution, however, depends on daily instances of fires and the weather conditions. This year, the contribution of farm fires to Delhi’s air pollution varied from 2 to 46 percent, showed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/why-punjabs-farm-fires-continue-to-burn/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>When forests are not forests at all, can fire be used to better manage them?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/when-forests-are-not-forests-at-all-can-fire-be-used-to-better-manage-them/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/when-forests-are-not-forests-at-all-can-fire-be-used-to-better-manage-them/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Mar 2019 12:44:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Priyanka Hari Haran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/03/12165230/DSCN1243-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=4451</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Flood and drought]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Fires, Forest Fires, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the last week of February, Bandipur Tiger Reserve lost over 60 square kilometres of forest to a massive fire, despite the best efforts of hundreds of people who tried to put it out. The incident was widely covered in the news, with sensational pictures of supposedly charred animals, grabbing everyone’s attention. The loss of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the last week of February, Bandipur Tiger Reserve lost over 60 square kilometres of forest to a massive fire, despite the best efforts of hundreds of people who tried to put it out. The incident was widely covered in the news, with sensational pictures of supposedly charred animals, grabbing everyone’s attention. The loss of forest land was lamented as irretrievable and devastating. The grassy forests of Bandipur, however, like many dry deciduous “forests” in south India, are not forests at all. The trees here are adapted to fire and the dry grasses fuel it frequently in the dry months between monsoons. These ecosystems are more open than closed canopy forests and the hardy vegetation found here can withstand drought conditions. Majestic teak (Tectona grandis) and Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) trees dominate the skyline and these natural ecosystems support a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates, contrary to the belief that they are wastelands or degraded forests. Jayashree Ratnam, associate director of the wildlife biology and conservation programme at the National Centre for Biological Science, said that these forests are mesic savannas. “Having worked for a while in African savannas and being very familiar with the idea that mixed tree-grass ecosystems were distinctive from forests, when we returned to India and started visiting various field sites, we were struck by the similarities of these sites with African savannas,” she said. Mesic savannas receive more rainfall than some other iconic savannas of the tropics, but such ecosystems the world over&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/when-forests-are-not-forests-at-all-can-fire-be-used-to-better-manage-them/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>[Commentary] Fires, leopards, boars and migration: the complex story of a simple people</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/12/commentary-fires-leopards-boars-and-migration-the-complex-story-of-a-simple-people/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/12/commentary-fires-leopards-boars-and-migration-the-complex-story-of-a-simple-people/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Dec 2018 12:35:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gopakumar Marayil]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/11/03162303/IMG_0051-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=3320</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas and Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Fires, Human Wildlife Conflict, Migration, and People]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It was when I first read an article in Down To Earth some years ago that I got interested in the people who lived in the hills of the Western Himalayas. I had done some treks in the past in Himachal and Uttaranchal, always with a group of friends who believed in goal, grit and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It was when I first read an article in Down To Earth some years ago that I got interested in the people who lived in the hills of the Western Himalayas. I had done some treks in the past in Himachal and Uttaranchal, always with a group of friends who believed in goal, grit and gin, though in a different order of priority (on one memorable occasion, they added goat to the agenda too, on the way back from Bedni Bugyal). We had never stopped in a village to chat or live with its denizens, only passed through a number of them onroute and the visage was always the same &#8211; fair and delicate folk, with cheerful smiles and a visible obduracy in frame and spirit, the women folk more at work than their men. We appreciated their difficulties, shivered in the cold, scoffed at our ineptness in dealing with it or with the climb or descent, and yet longed for more of the hills, a sort of envy that is selective in perception and understanding. Reading Ruskin Bond – again, selective retention – only strengthens that perception. The article changed all that. It spoke of systematic migration to the plains of the younger, often somewhat-educated, men, followed by their women and children. It featured hamlets with shrunk, aged populations who were too old to change their ways, the rest having migrated. It detailed crop failure due to changing rainfall patterns and the depredation by wild boar. And the looming,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/12/commentary-fires-leopards-boars-and-migration-the-complex-story-of-a-simple-people/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>[Commentary] Hot and dry: What plants do when pushed to their very limits</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/10/commentary-hot-and-dry-what-plants-do-when-pushed-to-their-very-limits/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/10/commentary-hot-and-dry-what-plants-do-when-pushed-to-their-very-limits/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Oct 2018 12:24:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/10/16165341/ForestLeaf-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=2816</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Chhattisgarh, Eastern Ghats, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Drought, Fires, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[About 10 percent of the world’s land surface experienced drought in 2005. The number is set to skyrocket over the twenty-first century to about 40 percent, as the globe warms by 3-4 degrees Celsius. Apart from the extent of drought, the frequency is also set to increase, especially in drier areas. A recent study has [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[About 10 percent of the world’s land surface experienced drought in 2005. The number is set to skyrocket over the twenty-first century to about 40 percent, as the globe warms by 3-4 degrees Celsius. Apart from the extent of drought, the frequency is also set to increase, especially in drier areas. A recent study has used climate models to show that by 2060-2080, most tropical regions within the 30 degree latitude of the equator may experience extreme temperatures for between 25 and 150 days per year; currently, such temperatures occur very rarely, just once a year. With drought and heat posing individual threats, there is also the looming threat of frequent ‘double whammies’ of drought and heat: concurrent drought and heatwaves, across India and the globe. India experienced an increased number, and more frequent, concurrent drought and heatwave events between the 1981-2010 duration as compared to 1951-1980. How will forest areas react to such extreme climates? When the land dries up Drought is a naturally occurring phenomenon in which rainfall is significantly below ‘normal’ recorded levels, which have been established through long-term observations. Drought has been an important driver that shapes ecosystems over millenia — the very composition of a forest is determined by its evolutionary history. Dry areas and those with uncertain rainfall support plant species which are adapted to such conditions. A dry river bed in India. Photo by Aringraphy / Pixabay. When experiencing drought like conditions, plants sense reduced soil moisture and immediately reduce their net primary&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/10/commentary-hot-and-dry-what-plants-do-when-pushed-to-their-very-limits/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>When drought and extreme heat strike forests at the same time</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/10/when-drought-and-extreme-heat-strike-forests-at-the-same-time/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/10/when-drought-and-extreme-heat-strike-forests-at-the-same-time/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Oct 2018 11:14:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/10/16174249/Mudumalai_forest_after_fire-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=2822</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Eastern Ghats, Himalayas, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Drought, Fires, Forest Fires, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The frequency of extreme weather events is going up around the world, and droughts and heatwaves are no exception. When the globe warms by 3-4 degrees &#8211; a possibility during this century under a ‘business as usual’ scenario &#8211; about 40 percent of the world’s land surface is predicted to experience drought. The tropics are [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The frequency of extreme weather events is going up around the world, and droughts and heatwaves are no exception. When the globe warms by 3-4 degrees &#8211; a possibility during this century under a ‘business as usual’ scenario &#8211; about 40 percent of the world’s land surface is predicted to experience drought. The tropics are all set to experience high temperatures as the new normal. With drought and heat posing individual threats, there is also the looming threat of frequent ‘double whammies’ of drought and heat: concurrent drought and heatwaves, across India and the globe. A recent study has found that the area under concurrent drought and heatwaves is more in recent years (1981-2000) compared to an earlier time period (1951-1980) in India. Moreover, there is an increase in frequency of concurrent heatwaves and drought. “We divided 60 years of data into two halves taking 1951-1980 as a base period. At each grid, we computed the differences in number of concurrent droughts and heatwaves for the period 1981 to 2010 with respect to the base period. These results indicate that simultaneous occurrence of droughts and heatwaves have increased,” said Shailza Sharma, an author of the study. The study found that concurrence of extreme drought and longer, more severe heatwaves is increasing in Gujarat, Central India and Peninsular India. Grasslands at Nannaj Wildlife Sancturary, Maharashtra. Photo by Raju Kasambe / Wikimedia Commons. The response of vegetation to a combination of drought and stress is complex, ranging from short-lived local mortality events&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/10/when-drought-and-extreme-heat-strike-forests-at-the-same-time/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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