<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" >

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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/forestry/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>India’s afforestation needs a species lens [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-afforestation-needs-a-species-lens-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-afforestation-needs-a-species-lens-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jul 2026 15:47:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pradeep Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[native plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rewilding]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/21130241/IMG_2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39497</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Forestry, Forests, Plantations, Plants, Reforestation, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[During my tenure as Divisional Forest Officer in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, I walked through a seven-year-old mixed plantation. According to the plantation journal maintained by the range office, 14 species had been planted at the start. On the ground, teak dominated — a few others persisted in scattered numbers, and some had disappeared entirely. Their [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[During my tenure as Divisional Forest Officer in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, I walked through a seven-year-old mixed plantation. According to the plantation journal maintained by the range office, 14 species had been planted at the start. On the ground, teak dominated — a few others persisted in scattered numbers, and some had disappeared entirely. Their decline was not recorded anywhere. It had been quietly absorbed into an aggregate survival statistic that still read as success. Plantation drives in India are often measured by the number of saplings planted and their survival rates, which portray an image of progress. But do these numbers reflect genuine ecological restoration or just denser tree cover? Indore district provides insight into this issue. Working Plan data from Indore Forest Division showed stable plantation targets, yet several native species fell to less than 1% of the tree population, a trend not captured in plantation reports or remote-sensing maps. This decline did not stem from felling operations or from a single visible event. Instead, it developed quietly, due to selective extraction, poor regeneration, grazing pressure, and climate stress. The greater issue is a management focus on numbers rather than on which species survive. Recognising this, the intervention emphasising Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) species raises a crucial question: Should forestry success be measured by total tree cover, or by the sustained presence of native biodiversity? The monsoon landscape at Shankargarh Hills in Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh, where community-led restoration is reviving native biodiversity. Image by Samarjeet Jadav.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-afforestation-needs-a-species-lens-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Why feasibility matters for land use projects in India [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/why-feasibility-matters-for-land-use-projects-in-india-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/why-feasibility-matters-for-land-use-projects-in-india-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jul 2026 15:37:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[J.V. SharmaSayanta Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/07142040/AP274368273581-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39054</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Carbon Offset, Carbon Trading, Climate Change Mitigation, Deforestation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Forestry, Forests, Grasslands, Green Business, and Reforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s carbon market conversation is widening beyond energy and industry. Forests, farms, grasslands, wetlands, mangroves and rice fields are increasingly being viewed as spaces where climate action, ecological restoration and rural livelihoods can converge. Carbon credits are expected to help bring private finance into these landscapes. But the global experience of the voluntary carbon market [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s carbon market conversation is widening beyond energy and industry. Forests, farms, grasslands, wetlands, mangroves and rice fields are increasingly being viewed as spaces where climate action, ecological restoration and rural livelihoods can converge. Carbon credits are expected to help bring private finance into these landscapes. But the global experience of the voluntary carbon market shows that a project can be registered, verified and even generate credits without necessarily delivering the climate or community outcomes that buyers assume. After evaluating 2,346 carbon-crediting projects and nearly one billion tonnes of issued credits, a 2024 study in Nature Communications estimated that less than 16% of the credits examined, represented real emission reductions. The study does not mean that every carbon project has failed, but it shows how badly results can diverge from claims when baselines, additionality or monitoring are weak. Specific cases make the warning harder to ignore. In 2025, the carbon certifier Verra reviewed Zimbabwe’s Kariba REDD+ project and found that actual deforestation in the reference area was far lower than originally projected. Verra identified 15.22 million excess credits among 26.82 million credits already issued and said these could no longer be corrected through future monitoring periods because the project had withdrawn from its registry. Similarly, in 2024, Verra rejected 37 rice-cultivation projects in China. It sanctioned project proponents and validation bodies and required compensation for overissued credits after concerns were raised about project areas, additionality and emission-reduction calculations. Community governance can be equally decisive. The Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/why-feasibility-matters-for-land-use-projects-in-india-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Delhi witnesses a travesty of ecological restoration [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/delhi-witnesses-a-travesty-of-ecological-restoration-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/delhi-witnesses-a-travesty-of-ecological-restoration-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Jul 2026 16:10:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ankila HiremathVikram Iyer]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/01141654/2_EarthMovers-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38879</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Environment, Forestry, Forests, Plantations, Plants, and Reforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Delhi’s Central Ridge, a mosaic of forest and open savannah with patches dominated by species such as dhok (Terminalia pendula), is a landscape that would be a rare gem anywhere. The location of this remnant of the ancient Aravallis — spanning a little over 850 hectares in the heart of a sprawling urban metropolis — [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Delhi’s Central Ridge, a mosaic of forest and open savannah with patches dominated by species such as dhok (Terminalia pendula), is a landscape that would be a rare gem anywhere. The location of this remnant of the ancient Aravallis — spanning a little over 850 hectares in the heart of a sprawling urban metropolis — makes it even more special. Yet, for over a century, it has remained misunderstood and misconstrued. In the early 20th century, the planners of New Delhi sought to create a forested backdrop for the Government House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan). Successive waves of tree planting were carried out, but very few of the introduced trees survived because they were poorly suited to local conditions. The exception was the South American tree Neltuma juliflora (formerly Prosopis juliflora). Better known as vilayati keekar, it is now a widespread invasive alien tree across arid and semi-arid regions of India. Since its introduction to the Central Ridge, it has come to dominate the landscape, along with other invasive species such as gaajar ghaas (Parthenium hysterophorus), lantana (Lantana camara), and subabool (Leucaena leucocephala), which arrived more recently. Delhi&#8217;s Central Ridge in the dry season. Invasive plant species dominate the 850 hectares in the heart of the capital city. Image by Pradip Krishen. What are invasive alien species? Invasive alien species must meet two criteria. First, they must be non-native to a region. Typically, these are species intentionally introduced by people, though some introductions occur inadvertently. In India, many non-native plants originated&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/delhi-witnesses-a-travesty-of-ecological-restoration-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rethinking forest restoration beyond tree cover [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/rethinking-forest-restoration-beyond-tree-cover-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/rethinking-forest-restoration-beyond-tree-cover-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jun 2026 12:19:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Dhanapal GovindarajuluJohan Oldekop]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dryland conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat degradation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tree plantation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/08095349/AP21185326184454-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38560</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Ecology, Environment, Forestry, Forests, Global Forest Watch, Habitat Loss, Plantations, Plants, Reforestation, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Since its launch in 2011, the Bonn Challenge has mobilised commitments to restore more than 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030, including India’s pledge to restore 26 million hectares. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) as a process that seeks to regain ecological integrity [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Since its launch in 2011, the Bonn Challenge has mobilised commitments to restore more than 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030, including India’s pledge to restore 26 million hectares. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) as a process that seeks to regain ecological integrity while enhancing human well-being. In practice, this means that ecosystem restoration should improve biodiversity, wildlife habitats and corridors, watersheds, and other ecosystem services. It should also strengthen local livelihoods, particularly through the provision of non-timber forest products and support for pastoral communities. Yet in practice, restoration is often narrowly equated with tree planting. This is partly because plantations can sequester large amounts of carbon, making them attractive for climate mitigation targets. India, for example, has committed under the Paris Agreement to create an additional carbon sink of 3.5 to 4 billion tonnes through afforestation and the expansion of tree cover. Many tropical countries use globally available forest-cover products to monitor and report restoration progress. However, these global products come with limitations because they are generated using different satellite imagery, training data, classification algorithms, and forest definitions. For example, the Global Forest Watch dataset, derived primarily from Landsat imagery, can produce substantially different estimates of forest extent and change compared with GlobeLand30, which is generated using Landsat and China’s HJ-1 satellite imagery. A recent global study comparing ten global forest datasets found that these maps agreed on only 26% of the globally mapped forest area. The&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/rethinking-forest-restoration-beyond-tree-cover-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Why India&#8217;s tree-planting programmes are falling short</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/why-indias-tree-planting-programmes-are-falling-short/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/why-indias-tree-planting-programmes-are-falling-short/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jun 2026 15:06:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aisiri Amin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agroforestry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tree plantation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/02181943/AP24202402198176-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38482</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agroecology, Forestry, Forests, Plantations, Plants, Reforestation, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For many countries, including India, increasing tree cover has become a core part of climate mitigation plans to improve biodiversity and ecosystems. ​From tree planting drives and festivals such as the annual Van Mahotsav, where India pledges to plant millions of tree saplings, to tree plantation programmes such as the Green India Mission (GIM), National [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For many countries, including India, increasing tree cover has become a core part of climate mitigation plans to improve biodiversity and ecosystems. ​From tree planting drives and festivals such as the annual Van Mahotsav, where India pledges to plant millions of tree saplings, to tree plantation programmes such as the Green India Mission (GIM), National Afforestation Programme (NAP), and Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF), afforestation is high on the priority list of solutions. However, a question that often arises is: how effective are these initiatives? A new study, published in the journal Environmental Research Communications, attempts to answer this question by examining eight major government policies and programmes and their impact on tree cover, focusing on trees outside forests (ToF). Many of these programmes operate with state funding, which means citizens’ tax money supports various initiatives. Therefore, it’s important to understand how this funding is actually being used, says Pooja Choksi, researcher and founder of Ficus Research Consulting, and co-author of the study. Moreover, India has one of the largest land and forestry-based Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) — a country&#8217;s plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “This creates enormous pressure: achieving these targets requires significant behavioural and land-use changes from citizens, because only limited land is government-owned, and primarily forests,” she explains. This also leads to a critical question. “How will we realistically meet these NDCs using current (tree planting) programmes, especially when new programmes are introduced every few years?&#8221; Choksi asks. A plant nursery nurtured by the Forest Department in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/why-indias-tree-planting-programmes-are-falling-short/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Rules for forest conservation may facilitate diversions [Analysis]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rules-for-forest-conservation-may-facilitate-diversions-analysis/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rules-for-forest-conservation-may-facilitate-diversions-analysis/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Apr 2026 17:02:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Meenakshi Kapoor]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensatory afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest clearance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/30151517/Image-1_-Sub-tropical-pine-forest-of-Himachal-Pradesh.-Credit-Meenakshi-Kapoor--scaled-e1777542538894-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37958</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deforestation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Environmental Politics, Forestry, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Forest conservation goes beyond tree planting and requires preservation of the entire ecosystem,” said Bhupender Yadav, the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&#38;CC), on the occasion of World Forest Day at a national workshop at the Forest Research Institute Dehradun on March 21. While the minister expressed a pro conservation sentiment, certain [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Forest conservation goes beyond tree planting and requires preservation of the entire ecosystem,” said Bhupender Yadav, the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC), on the occasion of World Forest Day at a national workshop at the Forest Research Institute Dehradun on March 21. While the minister expressed a pro conservation sentiment, certain legal changes made by the environment ministry do not follow the same sentiment. As per Indian environment law, forest clearance is required to divert land when a project of a non-forestry nature is planned in a forest area. The clearance process involves both the central and state governments. The proponent of the project submits an application to the state forest department, which examines the proposal and, if satisfied, forwards it to the central government with its observations. There, either the Forest Advisory Committee, the Empowered Committee at the regional office, or the head of the regional office of the environment ministry reviews the proposal, mainly to determine whether the project absolutely needs to be located on forest land or can be shifted elsewhere. If the committee agrees with the project&#8217;s need for forest land, the central government grants a Stage I, or in-principle, clearance. Stage I approval comes with certain conditions, including (but not limited to) the need for compensatory afforestation to make up for the loss of trees and payment of net present value to offset the loss of ecosystem services of the forest being lost. Once the project meets these conditions and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rules-for-forest-conservation-may-facilitate-diversions-analysis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Sloth bears den between a rock and a safe place</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/sloth-bears-den-between-a-rock-and-a-safe-place/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/sloth-bears-den-between-a-rock-and-a-safe-place/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Mar 2026 13:29:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[camera traps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dryland conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest guards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sloth bear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife corridors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife monitoring]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/25010338/MelursusUrsinusFemaleCub-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37445</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Ecology, Forestry, Grasslands, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the dry forests of eastern Gujarat, sloth bears disappear into the landscape every day. Naturally occurring caves on rocky hillocks provide hidden shelters that offer shade, safety and, for some, a place to raise cubs. A recent study takes a closer look at these refuges to understand how sloth bears choose these sites, and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the dry forests of eastern Gujarat, sloth bears disappear into the landscape every day. Naturally occurring caves on rocky hillocks provide hidden shelters that offer shade, safety and, for some, a place to raise cubs. A recent study takes a closer look at these refuges to understand how sloth bears choose these sites, and why certain aspects of the landscape matter more than others. “Denning behaviour is a really important part of sloth bear ecology, but surprisingly it has not been studied as much as other aspects like diet or habitat use. Like other bears, sloth bears depend on dens as safe places for resting and for raising their cubs. These sites also provide protection from environmental stress, disturbance and potential threats, especially when cubs are very young,” says Ashish Kumar Jangid, principal project associate at Wildlife Institute of India, and a sloth bear expert. Finding sloth bears dens The study was conducted between May 2022 and November 2023 in forests connecting Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary and Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat. The landscape stretches across Dahod, Chhota Udepur and Panchmahal districts and covers roughly 324 square kilometres. The terrain is rugged and hilly. Rocky outcrops rise through dry deciduous forest dominated by teak, crocodile bark, mahua, tendu and dhak trees. Although the sanctuaries themselves are protected areas, the corridor linking them is a mosaic of forest and human use. Sloth bears move through this landscape alongside species such as leopards, rusty-spotted cats, Indian giant flying squirrels, striped hyenas, golden&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/sloth-bears-den-between-a-rock-and-a-safe-place/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/sloth-bears-den-between-a-rock-and-a-safe-place/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>What is ecological succession? [Explainer]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/what-is-ecological-succession-explainer/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/what-is-ecological-succession-explainer/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Sep 2025 11:42:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Phalguni Ranjan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat degradation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/29164910/Middle_point_of_Sundarban-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34398</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Environment Explained]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Forestry, Forests, Himalayas, Plants, Trees, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ecological succession is the gradual, natural transformation of ecosystems through a change in their organism structure and composition over time. This transformation happens in steps as organisms arrive in a predictable sequence over large timescales. It starts with the first or pioneer species settling in barren areas, initiating the process of ecological succession. They are [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ecological succession is the gradual, natural transformation of ecosystems through a change in their organism structure and composition over time. This transformation happens in steps as organisms arrive in a predictable sequence over large timescales. It starts with the first or pioneer species settling in barren areas, initiating the process of ecological succession. They are followed by the intermediate species, and finally, stable and long-lived climax species that represent the end point of the process. At this point, ecosystems mature and stabilise and are self-sustaining. Operating silently in the background, succession determines how ecosystems recover from natural and human-induced disasters such as volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, deforestation, fires, and more. What are the different stages of succession? Ecological succession is classified into two types — primary and secondary — determined by whether the ecosystem is new or disrupted by disturbance. Primary succession occurs in areas that previously had no biological life, like cooled lava flows, newly formed sand dunes, or land newly exposed by retreating glaciers. Here, hardy pioneer species such as mosses, lichens, fungi, and algae establish themselves first. These organisms can survive in nutrient-poor conditions and begin the slow process of creating and stabilising soil by breaking down rocks and organic matter. Very few primary forests remain today, due to constant disturbance from development and other human-driven activities. Most can only be found in very remote areas or isolated hills in the Himalayas, Western Ghats, and parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where the old forests have&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/what-is-ecological-succession-explainer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Global REDD+ standards fail local forests [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/indias-redd-dilemma-as-global-carbon-standards-fail-local-forests-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/indias-redd-dilemma-as-global-carbon-standards-fail-local-forests-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2025 14:20:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jitendra Vir SharmaSayanta Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carbon Credit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carbon Market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indian Carbon Market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[REDD+]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/20102250/Ground-truthing-exercises-for-forest-degradation-mapping-integrating-field-data-with-satellite-based-analysis-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34238</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Finance, Forest Carbon, and Forestry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests, spanning over 80 million hectares, are one of the richest repositories of biodiversity and ecological services in the world. From the rain-drenched Western Ghats to the deciduous tracts of central India and the alpine ecosystems of the Himalayas, these forests are more than green expanses — they are carbon sinks, climate buffers, and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests, spanning over 80 million hectares, are one of the richest repositories of biodiversity and ecological services in the world. From the rain-drenched Western Ghats to the deciduous tracts of central India and the alpine ecosystems of the Himalayas, these forests are more than green expanses — they are carbon sinks, climate buffers, and life-support systems for over 300 million people, especially tribal and forest-dependent communities. As India reaffirms its global climate commitments, aiming to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 under the Bonn Challenge, and enhance carbon sinks by 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO₂-equivalent under its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the spotlight is firmly on REDD+ (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, plus conservation and sustainable management of forests). It is a framework developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). REDD+ promises a financial mechanism to reward countries for avoiding forest loss and enhancing forest carbon. Yet, despite strong domestic momentum and political will, India’s REDD+ potential remains largely untapped in global carbon markets. The reasons are systemic: the international carbon credit methodologies that govern REDD+ were designed with tropical deforestation hotspots such as the Amazon and Congo Basin in mind, not India’s fragmented, degradation-prone, publicly owned forests. As a result, even scientifically sound and community-supported REDD+ proposals from India often fail to qualify under prevailing standards. Global REDD+ vs. India’s uniqueness In much of Latin America or parts of sub-Saharan Africa, forest loss is drastic and detectable; satellites capture&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/indias-redd-dilemma-as-global-carbon-standards-fail-local-forests-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<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>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/wildfires-and-the-forgotten-science-of-community-forest-management-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Can CAMPA compensate for the loss of forest land?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/commentary-can-campa-compensate-for-the-loss-of-forest-land/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/commentary-can-campa-compensate-for-the-loss-of-forest-land/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jan 2025 15:17:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Himanshu UpadhyayaVaishnavi Paliya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CAMPA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensatory afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forestry]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/06140110/The_seedling-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30951</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Odisha]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Forestry and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Supreme Court of India in October 2002 directed that a “Compensatory Afforestation Fund’ (CAF) shall be created, where money is collected from user agencies towards compensatory afforestation (CA) under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 for accelerating activities for the preservation of natural forests, management of wildlife, and infrastructure development. In this spirit, the Odisha [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Supreme Court of India in October 2002 directed that a “Compensatory Afforestation Fund’ (CAF) shall be created, where money is collected from user agencies towards compensatory afforestation (CA) under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 for accelerating activities for the preservation of natural forests, management of wildlife, and infrastructure development. In this spirit, the Odisha State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) was constituted and operationalised in September 2018 to compensate for the loss of tangible and intangible benefits from the forest lands which were to be diverted for non-forest purposes. However, the process of “compensatory afforestation” is pointed out as devoid of logic by many environmentalists as the plantation can never compensate for the loss of natural forests.  On 11 September 2024, four audit reports from India’s national audit office &#8211; the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) &#8211; were tabled in the Odisha state assembly. One of these reports devoted an entire chapter reviewing the functioning of Odisha’s Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority. The audit findings that emerged from this detailed compliance audit reveal glaring deficiencies in the implementation of the code of management&#8217;s plan procedure, non-maintenance of plantation, diversion of CAMPA funds and so on.  Afforestation. Image by BemanHarish via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Records show that from 2016-17 to 2019-20, the survival rate of plantation was only 7.5 percent due to non-maintenance. The plantation activity costing Rs. 15 lakh (Rs. 1.5 million) for Aided Natural Regneration (ANR) – a method&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/commentary-can-campa-compensate-for-the-loss-of-forest-land/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/commentary-can-campa-compensate-for-the-loss-of-forest-land/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Balancing conservation and agroforestry to tackle climate change</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/balancing-conservation-and-agroforestry-to-tackle-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/balancing-conservation-and-agroforestry-to-tackle-climate-change/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Oct 2024 15:03:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agroforestry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chemical fertiliser]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[States]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/10/24121204/35934729586_fbd16ad805_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30011</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, and Forestry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[While agroforestry has the potential to combat climate change, India’s conservation-focussed forestry is hindering its growth, says a recent working paper. Agroforestry is a land management system that integrates crops and woody perennials like trees, shrubs, palms, bamboo etc. “Conservative-led (sic) forest policies have primarily focussed on increasing the area under the forest, but they [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[While agroforestry has the potential to combat climate change, India’s conservation-focussed forestry is hindering its growth, says a recent working paper. Agroforestry is a land management system that integrates crops and woody perennials like trees, shrubs, palms, bamboo etc. “Conservative-led (sic) forest policies have primarily focussed on increasing the area under the forest, but they have significantly hindered the growing of trees outside the forest,” says the paper authored by Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) of India, Karan Singhal and Naveen Bali. Bali works with a consulting firm Koan Advisory. It further explains, “The National Forest Policy of 1988 aimed to increase forest and tree cover and restricted the felling of trees without forest department approval. Further, in the Godavarman case (1996), the Supreme Court redefined the scope of forest conservation and suspended tree felling across the entire country. Such policies have discouraged private players (especially farmers) from entering the timber-growing business.” The paper, supporting agroforestry, highlights the fact that agroforestry plantations in India are spread across 28 million hectares, which is only 17% of total agricultural land. This is far less than the global average of 43%. The paper gives year-wise data to explain the impact of various events on India&#8217;s roundwood imports over three decades between 1991 and 2021. The Supreme Court ruling in the T.N. Godavarman case in 1996 which coincided with liberalisation of the import policy of wood and wood products, led to a temporary increase in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/balancing-conservation-and-agroforestry-to-tackle-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] GROW with agroforestry, a step towards sustainable land management</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/commentary-grow-with-agroforestry-a-step-towards-sustainable-land-management/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/commentary-grow-with-agroforestry-a-step-towards-sustainable-land-management/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Mar 2024 13:21:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abdul Qayum]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agroforestry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sequestration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/03/28112626/Arrival_of_Monsoon_in_Maharashtra_Western_Ghats-e1711605713591-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27109</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity and The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, Carbon Sequestration, Forestry, Forests, and Land Rights]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Agroforestry, the amalgamation of agriculture and forestry within the same land area, may seem straightforward, yet its intricacies often require significant scientific intervention to optimise outcomes. Traditional methods for evaluating, accounting and studying biophysical parameters of remote or inaccessible wastelands have become increasingly expensive and time-consuming over time. Obtaining information from landowners is frequently incomplete, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Agroforestry, the amalgamation of agriculture and forestry within the same land area, may seem straightforward, yet its intricacies often require significant scientific intervention to optimise outcomes. Traditional methods for evaluating, accounting and studying biophysical parameters of remote or inaccessible wastelands have become increasingly expensive and time-consuming over time. Obtaining information from landowners is frequently incomplete, inadequate and constrained by the challenges of incorporating timely changes. The data presently available, falls short of providing a comprehensive understanding for effective land management, making it challenging to distinguish the impacts of increased anthropogenic activity from those of climate change. Scientific intervention therefore, has become imperative. The integration of geo-spatial tools, particularly remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS), has proven indispensable in overcoming these challenges. Satellite data, harnessed through remote sensing and maneuvered through GIS, not only addresses these limitations but also provides a more robust decision support system. This approach aids in prioritising wasteland areas for enhanced productivity. The recent report Greening and Restoration of Wasteland (GROW) with Agroforestry from NITI Aayog covers three areas for agroforestry promotion: reducing import of wood and wood products; carbon sequestration to combat climate change at global and national level; and addressing sub-optimal use of arable land. The initiative contains promising recommendations. Cultivating spices in a forest in Kerala. Photo by Vignesh Vinod/Pexels. Agroforestry and its accrued benefits The GROW with Agroforestry initiative will yield a natural resource-based spatial data, geospatial technology and spatial modelling which will lead to tremendous scope in developing decision support systems&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/commentary-grow-with-agroforestry-a-step-towards-sustainable-land-management/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Not everyone&#8217;s sold on the global sensation &#8211; Miyawaki forests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/not-everyones-sold-on-the-global-sensation-miyawaki-forests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/not-everyones-sold-on-the-global-sensation-miyawaki-forests/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jul 2023 12:52:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Annelise Giseburt]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/07/03113832/miyawaki-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23463</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Forestry, Forests, and Reforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Miyawaki forestry method follows the practice of cultivating fast-growing groves of native vegetation in an area lacking trees. While the method has found keen restorers all over the globe, some say it promises more than it can deliver. They say that some practitioners are planting Miyawaki groves where they don’t belong. Developed in the early [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Miyawaki forestry method follows the practice of cultivating fast-growing groves of native vegetation in an area lacking trees. While the method has found keen restorers all over the globe, some say it promises more than it can deliver. They say that some practitioners are planting Miyawaki groves where they don’t belong. Developed in the early 1970s by the late Japanese forest ecologist Akira Miyawaki, the method involves the following steps: determine the plant species native to a given area; improve the soil by mixing in organic material; plant seedlings of native trees and understory plants in a dense, mixed manner (about three seedlings per square metre) meant to simulate a natural forest; remove weeds from the site for up to three years after planting, if necessary. After that, the grove is left to its own devices. Due to the dense planting, the seedlings grow quickly as they compete for sunlight. Although originally implemented in Japan, Miyawaki collaborated with Japanese multinational companies to apply his method overseas as well. This led Miyawaki in 1999 to claim that “quasi-natural forests can be built in 15-20 years in Japan and 40-50 years in Southeast Asia.” Over the past decade, the Miyawaki method’s popularity has reached new heights, including projects in Jordan and Brazil, among other locations. However, two ecological restoration practitioners in India recently criticised the Miyawaki method, saying it doesn’t deliver on the promise of “native, natural forests.” A Miyawaki mini-forest planted in 2007 at Izumo Taisha Sagami Bunshi in Kanagawa prefecture.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/not-everyones-sold-on-the-global-sensation-miyawaki-forests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Coconut-based integrated farming could help sequester carbon, improve farm productivity: study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/11/coconut-based-integrated-farming-could-help-sequester-carbon-improve-farm-productivity-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/11/coconut-based-integrated-farming-could-help-sequester-carbon-improve-farm-productivity-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Nov 2022 14:13:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. V. Padma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agrobiodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coconut trees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farm income]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trees]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/11/02113005/31-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=20405</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Ecosystem services, Forestry, Research, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Coconut-based integrated farming, which allows for other agricultural crops to grow under the canopy, not only offers scope for improving crop biodiversity and farm productivity, but also a means to sequester carbon, according to a new study that cites Kerala as an example. A coconut-based farming system (CBFS) involves growing many shade-thriving or ‘sciophytic’ agricultural [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Coconut-based integrated farming, which allows for other agricultural crops to grow under the canopy, not only offers scope for improving crop biodiversity and farm productivity, but also a means to sequester carbon, according to a new study that cites Kerala as an example. A coconut-based farming system (CBFS) involves growing many shade-thriving or ‘sciophytic’ agricultural crops in coconut plantations. The system has a two-fold benefit: it ensures economic benefits by improving crop productivity, and it can serve as an example of a nature-based solution (NbS), finds the study. It was conducted by a team led by Jacob John, a professor at the Kerala Agricultural University. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines nature-based solutions as &#8220;actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.&#8221; John’s team developed a coconut-based integrated farming system (IFS) model suited for lowlands, at the Integrated Farming System Research Station (IFSRS), Karamana under Kerala Agricultural University. Based on their previous estimates, the model uses an area of 0.2 hectares (ha), which matches the average per capita land availability of the marginal farmer in the state. Increased crop biodiversity and farm income Apart from the major crop coconut, the model includes intercrops such as vegetable, fruit, spices, fodder and tuber crops. It also incorporates allied enterprises such as livestock; farming of azolla, an aquatic fern that lives symbiotically with a blue-green algae and is a good bio-fertiliser; and agroforestry.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/11/coconut-based-integrated-farming-could-help-sequester-carbon-improve-farm-productivity-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>India seeks synergy in rules governing its forests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/india-seeks-synergy-in-rules-governing-its-forests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/india-seeks-synergy-in-rules-governing-its-forests/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Apr 2022 15:24:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[governance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/04/06084450/environment-g05f8b2eb8_1920-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17721</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Forest Rights Act, Forestry, Forests, and Plantations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The government of India has been trying to change how India’s forests are governed, especially the national forest policy, for at least six years now but has been unable to do so due to severe resistance. The Indian government has now formed a task force to develop a synergy between various laws related to the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The government of India has been trying to change how India’s forests are governed, especially the national forest policy, for at least six years now but has been unable to do so due to severe resistance. The Indian government has now formed a task force to develop a synergy between various laws related to the conservation and protection of forests including the regulation of trees outside forests and agroforestry. The March 31, 2022 order by the forest policy division of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said &#8220;it has been decided to constitute a task force led by MoEFCC’s Director General of Forest to “study and analyse the National Forest Policy, 1988, the proposed National Forest Policy, proposed amendments in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the current regulatory regimes on agroforestry/tree outside forests across the country.” In October 2021, the MoEFCC had unveiled a note seeking comments on amendments in the Forest Conservation Act 1980 – a decision that environmentalists fear that the proposed amendment would result in more forest areas being opened up for projects including mining. The government’s move, according to the order, is to “develop synergies for promotion of sustainable development and management of forests and trees outside forests in the country.” The order sought the task force’s report within 60 days by May 31, 2022. Since May 2014, the focus of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government has been to overhaul the environment and forest laws to ensure ease of business&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/india-seeks-synergy-in-rules-governing-its-forests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>India proposes river rejuvenation through plantations</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/india-proposes-river-rejuvenation-through-plantations/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/india-proposes-river-rejuvenation-through-plantations/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Mar 2022 13:08:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[river]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trees]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/03/18020835/Banner-R-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17501</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Forest Rights Act, Forestry, Forests, Groundwater, Rivers, Water, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The government of India is planning an ambitious programme for the rejuvenation of 13 major Indian rivers through forestry interventions at a cost of nearly Rs. 19,300 crores (Rs. 193 billion). The plan, however, experts say, is yet another way of packaging the concept of afforestation and it fails to address the real issues behind [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The government of India is planning an ambitious programme for the rejuvenation of 13 major Indian rivers through forestry interventions at a cost of nearly Rs. 19,300 crores (Rs. 193 billion). The plan, however, experts say, is yet another way of packaging the concept of afforestation and it fails to address the real issues behind the dying rivers. The detailed project reports (DPRs) on rejuvenation of 13 major rivers – Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Luni, Narmada, Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Cauvery – were recently released by the Indian government’s environment minister Bhupender Yadav. The reports, funded by the National Afforestation &amp; Eco-development Board of the environment ministry (MoEFCC), were prepared by the Dehradun-based Indian Council of Forestry Research &amp; Education (ICFRE). The 13 rivers across the country, mainly in the Himalayan and peninsular region, collectively cover a total basin area of 18,90,110 square kilometres which is 57.45 percent of the geographical area of the country. The government states that the growing water crisis on account of depleting freshwater resources, especially due to the shrinking and degradation of river ecosystems is a major impediment to achieving national goals pertaining to the environment, conservation, climate change, and sustainable development. The DPRs said deforestation and forest degradation, scanty rainfall, flash floods, landslides, bank erosion, faulty agriculture and horticulture practices, soil erosion, excessive groundwater extraction, rapid urbanisation, unregulated floodplain, waste dumping, the release of effluents, unregulated tourism, pilgrimage, unregulated sand mining, and riverbank encroachment are some of the issues that are&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/india-proposes-river-rejuvenation-through-plantations/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Plantation on a barren hillock in West Bengal stops erosion, attracts birds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/greening-a-barren-hillock-in-west-bengal-stops-erosion-attracts-birds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/greening-a-barren-hillock-in-west-bengal-stops-erosion-attracts-birds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Mar 2022 13:14:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Deepanwita Gita Niyogi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/03/08122446/hill-3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17356</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Birds, Forestry, Plantations, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Rinku Gope’s hamlet Paharkol lying in Bankura district of West Bengal has become an attraction for outsiders. This Adivasi woman belonging to the Santhal tribe has helped revive a hillock believed to be the resting place of local deity Paharsene. Once a bare hillock in the hamlet of 44 households, it is now a green [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Rinku Gope’s hamlet Paharkol lying in Bankura district of West Bengal has become an attraction for outsiders. This Adivasi woman belonging to the Santhal tribe has helped revive a hillock believed to be the resting place of local deity Paharsene. Once a bare hillock in the hamlet of 44 households, it is now a green haven with trees that attract birds and also lock in the soil, preventing erosion. “Everyone here believes that our deity blesses us by bringing monsoon rainfall during the kharif season when farmers sow paddy. So, every year we offer worship during the winter harvest festival of Poush Sankranti celebrated in January by visiting the hill top to appease him,” Gope told Mongabay-India. While across Bengal the festival is celebrated in homes by making the traditional sweet pitha, in Paharkol, women climb atop the sacred hillock to sacrifice a hen followed by cooking delicacies as offerings to Paharsene. Agriculture is the main occupation in Paharkol. Like most farmers in the hamlet, Gope has land measuring about two acres on which she cultivates paddy in summer, the dominant crop in the region, as well as tomatoes and mustard during winter. Bankura district in the western part of Bengal and adjoining Purulia are barren, covered mostly with red soil. A good monsoon is the only hope for small farmers. Even though there is a dam in Paharkol lying within 100 metres on the Shilabati river, adequate rain is needed for the dam to be full of water. Gope&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/greening-a-barren-hillock-in-west-bengal-stops-erosion-attracts-birds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>[Analysis] Indian forests around the size of Nagaland, thinned down in two years</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/01/analysis-indian-forests-around-the-size-of-nagaland-thinned-down-in-two-years/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/01/analysis-indian-forests-around-the-size-of-nagaland-thinned-down-in-two-years/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jan 2022 12:59:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Prudhviraj Rupavath]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/01/27104211/Banner-image-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=16908</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Politics, Forestry, Forests, and Reforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On January 13, the Indian government released the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 claiming a marginal (0.22 percent) increase in the country&#8217;s forest cover &#8211; a net increase of 1,540 square kilometres &#8211; from its previous assessment in 2019. However, a closer analysis of the report shows that, in two years, between 2019 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On January 13, the Indian government released the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 claiming a marginal (0.22 percent) increase in the country&#8217;s forest cover &#8211; a net increase of 1,540 square kilometres &#8211; from its previous assessment in 2019. However, a closer analysis of the report shows that, in two years, between 2019 and 2021, the quality of India’s forests deteriorated across 15,183 square kilometres (sq km) as forests were either chopped down or thinned out. This area of deteriorating forests is nearly 10 times the area of new forests that the ISFR 2021 report claims were added. Of this, the degradation of 9,117 sq. km. of forest cover was so severe that they turned into scrubs or non-forest lands – having no forest or tree worth capturing from a high-resolution satellite. The biennial ISFR is carried out by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), a government agency mandated to assess and monitor forest resources of the country. The first such report was released in 1987 and FSI has since assessed forest cover every two years. The agency classifies forests into three categories. Very Dense Forests (VDF) where the canopy of the forest covers 70 percent or more of the land surveyed by a satellite. A piece of land of which 40-70 percent is a green canopy when seen from a bird’s eye view is called Moderately Dense Forests (MDF). And a patch of land where only 10-40 percent of the land is covered by a green canopy&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/01/analysis-indian-forests-around-the-size-of-nagaland-thinned-down-in-two-years/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The state of India&#8217;s forests: Losing forests, gaining plantations</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/01/the-state-of-indias-forests-losing-forests-gaining-plantations/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/01/the-state-of-indias-forests-losing-forests-gaining-plantations/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jan 2022 16:28:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monoculture]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/01/24152033/Tea_Plantation_in_Southern_India-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=16873</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Law, Forestry, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Indian government recently came out with the India State of Forest Report (ISFR 2021), the biennial national forest cover report, claiming a marginal increase of 2,261 square kilometres in the country&#8217;s total forest and tree cover but unlike the previous years, the sector experts this time are vocal against the claims. They question the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Indian government recently came out with the India State of Forest Report (ISFR 2021), the biennial national forest cover report, claiming a marginal increase of 2,261 square kilometres in the country&#8217;s total forest and tree cover but unlike the previous years, the sector experts this time are vocal against the claims. They question the methodology with the report that counts even trees in cities and plantations as “forest cover”. The experts note that the report reflects disconnects within India’s forestry sector —  for example, in the report, an area recorded under forest cover, if considered applying the Forest Conservation Act 1980, the area will likely not meet the qualification of a “forest”. This further impacts other definitions. For instance, environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta  told Mongabay-India, “If we go by the ISFR 2021, many of the city dwellers or coffee plantation owners are actually forest dwellers.” Dutta also highlighted the duality of the forest department (which led the study) and India’s ministry of forests, noting that, the government, “when it comes to Forest Conservation Act 1980, under which land is diverted for non-forest purposes, doesn’t count roadside plantation as forest cover. But suddenly when it comes to these biennial forest cover reports, they decide that such areas are forests,” noted Dutta whose Delhi-based organisation, Legal Initiative for Forests &amp; Environment (LIFE), recently won the 2021 Right Livelihood Award, which is widely considered the alternative Nobel Prize. “Now, imagine the area that has been declared under forest cover under this report&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/01/the-state-of-indias-forests-losing-forests-gaining-plantations/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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