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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/human-wildlife-conflict/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:57:55 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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					<title>Roads a risk to the world&#8217;s smallest wild cat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jul 2026 15:16:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[roadkill]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rusty spotted cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/27131148/Rusty_spotted_cat_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39631</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Conservation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Protected Areas, Roads, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have reported two roadkill incidents of the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) at the National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. The two records are the first documented occurrence of the small carnivore in southern Uttar Pradesh, according to the research paper published in the Journal of Threatened [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have reported two roadkill incidents of the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) at the National Chambal Sanctuary in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. The two records are the first documented occurrence of the small carnivore in southern Uttar Pradesh, according to the research paper published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa in May. Roadkill data for small carnivores is heavily underreported, and these records were “a matter of chance”, according to Vishnupriya Kolipakam, a WII scientist and one of the paper’s authors. While they add a new locality to the small cat’s known range, the wildlife sanctuary falls within its distribution range, Kolipakam said. “The wild cat has been reported from areas all around Chambal, including Kuno, Rangarh-Vishdhar, Ranthambhore, and Dholpur,” she said. However, this follows a pattern, as seen in recent papers that have curated sighting reports of the strictly nocturnal cat. There were nine records of roadkill from the Saurashtra Peninsula in Gujarat between 2016 and 2024, and four records from Rajasthan between 2000 and 2020. In Nepal, too, where the cat was discovered as recently as 2016, there has been a record of a roadkill. For an elusive small cat that has been rarely observed in the wild, these roadkill records add up to a significant number. There are also not enough studies looking at the effects of roads on small carnivores, noted Shomita Mukherjee, a senior principal scientist at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). “Whatever is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/roads-a-risk-to-the-worlds-smallest-wild-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>New DNA analysis reveals what dholes eat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jul 2026 13:37:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rajeev Tyagi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dhole]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dog]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/24130643/8867390742_7849bf68c4_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39584</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Conservation, Food, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, National Parks, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Dholes (Cuon alpinus), also known as Asiatic wild dogs, are among the most threatened carnivores globally and are currently listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Understanding what they eat, can offer clues that will aid in their conservation. Researchers have now developed a new technique to analyse their diet [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Dholes (Cuon alpinus), also known as Asiatic wild dogs, are among the most threatened carnivores globally and are currently listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Understanding what they eat, can offer clues that will aid in their conservation. Researchers have now developed a new technique to analyse their diet by using only “small pinches” of scat material. Non-invasive fecal samples have become increasingly important for studying the diet of elusive and endangered species, as they provide finer taxonomic resolution. But while most recent metabarcoding studies have used methods involving the collection of whole scats in ziplock bags or centrifuge tubes with silica beads, molecular ecologist Abhinav Tyagi and his colleagues took a different approach. While researching dhole diet inside the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, forest staff trained by Tyagi, instead of scooping up entire piles of dhole scat from the ground, collected only “small pinches” of material. Samples were collected during the monsoon (August-September 2022) and winter (January-February 2023). The study, published in Environmental DNA, is a collaboration between the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and the Maharashtra Forest Department, and uses &#8220;DNA metabarcoding to assess spatial and seasonal variation in dhole diet from a high-density dhole landscape.” Researcher Abhinav Tyagi collects a dhole scat sample during field research in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. A new technique has been developed to analyse diet by using only “small pinches” of scat. Image courtesy of Abhinav Tyagi. “The study found, their diet, irrespective of season,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/new-dna-analysis-reveals-what-dholes-eat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>As elephants venture to higher altitudes researchers track possibilities of conflict</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/as-elephants-venture-to-higher-altitudes-researchers-track-possibilities-of-conflict/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/as-elephants-venture-to-higher-altitudes-researchers-track-possibilities-of-conflict/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jul 2026 15:55:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elephant corridors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elephant Movement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human elephant conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife corridors]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/03141812/Picture2_Camera-trap-capture-of-an-elephant-herd-above-3200-m-the-highest-known-altitude-of-elephant-presence.-C-WWF-IndiaArunachal-Pradesh-Forest-Department-e1783069319919-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38962</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Camera traps, Conservation, Elephants, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Human Wildlife Conflict, Land Rights, Mammals, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Elephants in Arunachal Pradesh may be present at higher elevations than previously thought. According to the new action plan on managing human-elephant conflict in the state, elephant tracks as well as a camera trap image of a juvenile elephant were observed at an altitude of 3,266 metres in the state’s Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, possibly the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Elephants in Arunachal Pradesh may be present at higher elevations than previously thought. According to the new action plan on managing human-elephant conflict in the state, elephant tracks as well as a camera trap image of a juvenile elephant were observed at an altitude of 3,266 metres in the state’s Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, possibly the highest recorded presence of Asian elephants in the world. The highest known record of an elephant (African elephant) is at around 4,000 metres, on Mount Kenya. Elephants in Arunachal Pradesh were previously known to be present primarily in the lower reaches and Himalayan foothills occasionally moving up to an altitude of 2,000 meters. However, this assessment found their presence at altitudes going up to 3,266 metres. The new action plan, released in May 2026, was jointly developed by the Arunachal Pradesh Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and WWF-India, to address human-elephant conflict in the state, threats to habitats and analyse whether elephant corridors are well-protected. Data was collected between December 2024 and March 2026. Officials examined elephant habitats where conflict was reported, and where crop or property damage had occurred. Why the altitude record matters According to Aritra Kshettry, who works with WWF-India’s Elephant Conservation Programme (ECP), elephants are not typically found at such high altitudes. The records of elephants at these altitudes gives clues about their movement outside of protected areas which helps predict potential interactions between elephants and humans. According to the action plan, elephant presence and crop damage have been&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/as-elephants-venture-to-higher-altitudes-researchers-track-possibilities-of-conflict/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Snake sightings rise even when snakebite deaths fall</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/snake-sightings-rise-even-when-snakebite-deaths-fall/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/snake-sightings-rise-even-when-snakebite-deaths-fall/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jun 2026 13:59:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi M.R.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snakebites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/22103156/3-3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38767</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Human Wildlife Conflict, Impacts of Climate Change, Reptiles, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Panic struck Kerala this year when eight snakebite deaths were reported from six districts across the state within a span of two months this summer. Six of the eight deaths were reported between April 20 and 26. A constant stream of fear-inducing reports in both the mainstream and social media intensified public anxiety around snakebites. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Panic struck Kerala this year when eight snakebite deaths were reported from six districts across the state within a span of two months this summer. Six of the eight deaths were reported between April 20 and 26. A constant stream of fear-inducing reports in both the mainstream and social media intensified public anxiety around snakebites. The heightened concern was reflected in the number of calls received by Team SARPA (Snake Awareness, Rescue, Protection App), a network of trained snake rescuers and forest officials. In August 2020, Kerala introduced guidelines for the rescue and release of snakes from human-dominated areas by certified snake rescuers, leading to the formation of the SARPA team and a mobile application. The platform allows residents to report snake sightings and alert nearby rescuers, enabling rapid responses to snake-related incidents, improving documentation, and promoting public awareness of snake safety and conservation. “There are around 3,500 active licensed snake rescuers in the state. But with the intense media attention this year, we started receiving more than 100 calls a day for volunteers, and most of them were panic calls,” says Sandeep Das, research associate at the University of Calicut and SARPA master trainer. “When media focus shifted to election coverage and political developments in the state, the number of calls gradually came down.” “A combination of factors such as the unusually high atmospheric temperatures triggered by the heatwave, the egg-hatching season of venomous snakes such as the Indian cobra, Russell’s viper, and saw-scaled viper led to more human-snake&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/snake-sightings-rise-even-when-snakebite-deaths-fall/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Village documents 600 species through a community-led survey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/village-documents-600-species-through-a-community-led-survey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/village-documents-600-species-through-a-community-led-survey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jun 2026 11:35:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vinaya Kurtkoti]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[documentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grassland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/22081709/Indian-Wolf-in-the-grasslands-of-Kiraksal-Photo-Credit-Himesh-Gahir-GreenHub-Fellow-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38758</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Eco Hope]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Grasslands, Human Wildlife Conflict, and Mammals]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Kiraksal, a small village in Maan taluka, Satara district of Maharashtra, is known for its dense scrublands. According to the village elders, this area was once a thriving grasslands ecosystem, home to blackbucks and chinkaras. After the 1950s, ungulate species gradually became locally extinct in this area; the Indian grey wolves, striped hyena, golden jackals, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Kiraksal, a small village in Maan taluka, Satara district of Maharashtra, is known for its dense scrublands. According to the village elders, this area was once a thriving grasslands ecosystem, home to blackbucks and chinkaras. After the 1950s, ungulate species gradually became locally extinct in this area; the Indian grey wolves, striped hyena, golden jackals, and Bengal foxes survived, but the biodiversity in the village remained undocumented. Chinmay Sawant, a wildlife biologist from Mumbai whose grandparents live in Kiraksal, decided to change this by scientifically documenting the species in this ecosystem. Sawant spent the COVID-19 lockdown period in Kiraksal for this purpose, and worked on putting together the village’s People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR). “Kiraksal is connected to hilly areas and table mountains but we did not know which animals live there. I was curious to find out and scientifically study this area, so I spent the entire lockdown period here. Amol Katkar, who was a member of the gram panchayat during this time, entrusted me with the task of making the PBR, so I formed a team of likeminded young people interested in conserving nature,” he shares. The Kiraksal Conservation Project was thus started, and this team continued their efforts to document the biodiversity, later supported by a WWF grant from 2023 to 2025. The WWF-supported project had three objectives: local community engagement and youth training, biodiversity documentation and research, habitat protection and restoration. The first phase of the project (May 2023 to October 2024) involved developing surveys with the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/village-documents-600-species-through-a-community-led-survey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Crime against caracal sparks a census project for the cat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jun 2026 16:21:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Madhav Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caracal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/10142147/6-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38591</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Rajasthan]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Thar Desert, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a video of a wild cat, a caracal, being burnt on a pile of wood in Rajasthan was widely shared. The Rajasthan police arrested three individuals identified from the video, and recovered the partially burnt remains of the caracal. Samples from the caracal’s remains were sent to the Wildlife Institute of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In March this year, a video of a wild cat, a caracal, being burnt on a pile of wood in Rajasthan was widely shared. The Rajasthan police arrested three individuals identified from the video, and recovered the partially burnt remains of the caracal. Samples from the caracal’s remains were sent to the Wildlife Institute of India for post mortem. Under wildlife protection laws, those arrested were sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand. &#8220;The wild animal had killed more than 50 of our livestock,&#8221; they said, indicating a case of retaliatory killing. However, neither the accused nor the village residents have applied to the forest department for compensation which is offered in cases where a wild animal kills livestock. Exactly a year before this incident, the rare and elusive member of the cat family, was recorded by a camera trap for the first time in Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. On March 14, 2026, a video of three people burning a caracal to death in the Jaisalmer district of the Thar Desert. Two days later, Rajasthan police arrested the individuals and sent samples of the partially burnt remains to the Wildlife Institute of India. Representative image by Gobind Sagar Bharadwaj/WII. Caracals in India The caracal is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. There are varying estimates of its population. Historically, the caracal was reported in 13 Indian states in nine out of 26 biotic provinces. Since 2001, their presence has shrunk to only three&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/crime-against-caracal-sparks-a-census-project-for-the-cat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Environmental issues underrepresented in West Bengal polls</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/environmental-issues-underrepresented-in-west-bengal-polls/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/environmental-issues-underrepresented-in-west-bengal-polls/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Apr 2026 14:54:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human elephant conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopard]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/27142625/AP141362749490-scaled-e1777280308770-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37882</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Elephants, Environment, Environmental Politics, Human Rights, Human Wildlife Conflict, Politics, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As phased polls continue across West Bengal’s 294 assembly constituencies, the election debate has centred on issues like citizenship, while largely sidelining environmental issues. In the first phase on April 23, the state witnessed record voting. The next phase is scheduled for April 29, and voting will be counted on May 4. Speaking about the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As phased polls continue across West Bengal’s 294 assembly constituencies, the election debate has centred on issues like citizenship, while largely sidelining environmental issues. In the first phase on April 23, the state witnessed record voting. The next phase is scheduled for April 29, and voting will be counted on May 4. Speaking about the representation of environment in elections, wildlife biologist and co-founder of The Fishing Cat Project, Tiasa Adhya told Mongabay-India, “The ecological and environmental problems in West Bengal are the conversion of wetlands, decreasing freshwater flow in Sundarbans, indiscriminate sand mining, mining for minerals and ores, and conflict with elephants in both north and south West Bengal. These agendas have consequences for both nature and society and should come up strongly in policy manifestos. These are unprecedented times that require a change in the way we understand &#8216;development&#8217; and an increase in ecological literacy that is linked to human health and well-being.” Negative interactions between humans and wildlife are also a major concern in the state, said environmentalist and co-founder of Human and Environment Alliance League (HEAL), a non-profit based in Kolkata, Suvrajyoti Chatterjee “Negative interactions between humans and elephants cause a lot of fatalities in south West Bengal,&#8221; he told Mongabay-India. &#8220;Many places lack street lights, and the habit of open defecation among people causes fatalities. In north West Bengal districts also, deaths from elephant attacks are rising alarmingly. Those districts are also witnessing negative interaction with leopards. In Sundarbans, a lot of people die from&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/environmental-issues-underrepresented-in-west-bengal-polls/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/environmental-issues-underrepresented-in-west-bengal-polls/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Birds are colliding with glass. Few in India are counting.</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/birds-are-colliding-with-glass-few-in-india-are-counting/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/birds-are-colliding-with-glass-few-in-india-are-counting/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Apr 2026 12:59:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buildings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/22225642/EmeraldDove-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37821</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Cities and Towns, Human Wildlife Conflict, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A flying emerald dove is a flash of metallic green, weaving low through trees. To the bird, a glass surface reflecting sky or foliage looks like open air. Then comes the impact. Architect and birdwatcher Peeyush Sekhsaria remembers hearing a “blast-like sound” at a tourist lodge in Coorg in 2007 when an emerald dove slammed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A flying emerald dove is a flash of metallic green, weaving low through trees. To the bird, a glass surface reflecting sky or foliage looks like open air. Then comes the impact. Architect and birdwatcher Peeyush Sekhsaria remembers hearing a “blast-like sound” at a tourist lodge in Coorg in 2007 when an emerald dove slammed into a window. The building was not a modern glass tower but an ordinary structure. Nearly two decades later, the incident still stays with him. What troubles him more is that India has little systematic documentation of birds dying after colliding with glass. Unlike North America, where building collisions are estimated to kill more than a billion birds annually, India has no national assessment. A dead emerald dove after crashing into a glass window at a tourist lodge in Coorg in 2007. Image by Peeyush Sekhsaria. An invisible hazard Glass creates a danger birds cannot recognise. Transparent panes appear as open flight paths, while reflective surfaces mirror vegetation or sky. Birds attempting to fly through these illusions collide at high speed. Reports surface sporadically. In Gujarat, migratory rosy starlings fell after hitting glass. In Meghalaya, long-tailed broadbills struck an automobile showroom façade. Many incidents circulate only within birdwatching groups or on social media: a stunned barbet beneath a building, or a thud against an apartment window. “We really don’t know the scale of this issue,” says Ashwin Viswanathan, an ecologist at the Nature Conservation Foundation. Collisions occur wherever reflective glass exists, in cities, small towns,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/birds-are-colliding-with-glass-few-in-india-are-counting/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/birds-are-colliding-with-glass-few-in-india-are-counting/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Ecological debate over iron ore halts mining bid in tiger landscape</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Apr 2026 11:35:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human-wildlife conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mining]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/15113030/Madhuri_Tigress_-_Agarzari_Buffer_-_TATR-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37700</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mining, and Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[After weeks of protests and hunger strikes by activists and concerned local residents, the Maharashtra government temporarily halted further action on the Lohardongri iron ore mining project in the Bramhapuri forest division of Chandrapur district, which had ecologists and environmentalists in a bind for months. Nagpur-based Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd was allotted almost [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[After weeks of protests and hunger strikes by activists and concerned local residents, the Maharashtra government temporarily halted further action on the Lohardongri iron ore mining project in the Bramhapuri forest division of Chandrapur district, which had ecologists and environmentalists in a bind for months. Nagpur-based Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd was allotted almost 36 hectares of forested land under the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015. News reports suggest that an estimated 18,000 trees would be felled to make way for the project. While Mongabay-India couldn’t access the documents to verify the number of trees to be felled, a 2022 tree enumeration survey report  available publicly points to over 11,773 trees to be cut and experts suggest that more trees have likely been added to this number in the last few years. What truly concerns residents is the environmental cost of the project, including a potential rise in negative interactions with tigers. A road cut across forest patches in the Bramhapuri forest division of Chandrapur district in the Greater Tadoba landscape in central India. Ecologist fear that the proposed open-cast mining project could add to the anthropogenic pressure on forests and wildlife in the region. Image by Saumitra Shinde/Mongabay-India Rising tiger interactions Chandrapur district of Maharashtra is the epicentre of rising human–tiger interactions, often resulting in fatalities. Mongabay-India visited the conflict areas in late 2024 to report on this, and found that a staggering 111 human deaths from tiger attacks were reported in 2022–2023, with 59 deaths already recorded in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ecological-debate-over-iron-ore-halts-mining-bid-in-tiger-landscape/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Fear may deter wild animals from damaging crops, study suggests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/fear-may-deter-wild-animals-from-damaging-crops-study-suggests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/fear-may-deter-wild-animals-from-damaging-crops-study-suggests/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Mar 2026 13:09:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crop loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[herbivores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild boar]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/27123141/Sambar_deer_Bordharan_Dam_Wardha_2-scaled-e1774594944522-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37502</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Conservation, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Wildlife, and Wildlife Protection Act]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Crop damage caused by wild animals, especially smaller species such as spotted deer and wild pig, is a growing but underreported driver of negative human-wildlife interactions in Maharashtra. An estimation of net agricultural losses from human-wildlife conflict, in the western Indian state, computed by the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, pegs the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Crop damage caused by wild animals, especially smaller species such as spotted deer and wild pig, is a growing but underreported driver of negative human-wildlife interactions in Maharashtra. An estimation of net agricultural losses from human-wildlife conflict, in the western Indian state, computed by the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, pegs the loss between ₹100 billion (₹10,000 crore) and ₹400 billion (₹40,000 crore) per year. One of the authors of the report and independent researcher, Milind Watve, says that crop damage from wildlife is a much larger issue than livestock depredation. “Human attacks are qualitatively different, of course, but media attention is largely focused on carnivore conflict. In reality, herbivore-related crop damage is far more significant in economic terms,” he tells Mongabay-India. In a new paper titled Why wild herbivores raid crops: Alternative hypotheses and their differential implications for the mitigation of human–wildlife conflict, Watve, along with another independent researcher, Sonal Prabhulkar, examines the root causes of crop raiding by wild herbivores. The paper critiques the lack of causal analysis in prior studies and lists alternative hypotheses from diverse sources, evaluating their logic against data and anecdotes. Four main hypotheses (not mutually exclusive) are analysed in the paper: habitat loss from various causes such as fragmentation, forest degradation and invasive species, acting as push factors; increasing herbivore populations due to conservation success; better nutrition from crop foraging as a pull factor; and a waning fear of humans. A sugarcane field in Satara, which neighbours Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/fear-may-deter-wild-animals-from-damaging-crops-study-suggests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/fear-may-deter-wild-animals-from-damaging-crops-study-suggests/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Leopard contraception trials aim at managing conflict</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/maharashtra-pilots-contraception-in-leopards-to-manage-conflict/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/maharashtra-pilots-contraception-in-leopards-to-manage-conflict/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Mar 2026 15:04:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopards]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/26113824/AP22108260577286-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37479</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Human Wildlife Conflict, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In November last year, after months of deliberation, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the Maharashtra government’s proposal for leopard population control in the state. Although other states have proposed similar interventions, Maharashtra is the first state in the country to trial birth control in leopards to potentially mitigate increasing human-leopard [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In November last year, after months of deliberation, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the Maharashtra government’s proposal for leopard population control in the state. Although other states have proposed similar interventions, Maharashtra is the first state in the country to trial birth control in leopards to potentially mitigate increasing human-leopard interactions. The state forest department will implement the programme according to the proposal presented by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). While the proposed population control method has been widely reported as “sterilisation”, Bilal Habib, WII scientist, who led a long-term study in Junnar, clarifies that it is, in fact, immunocontraception — “a temporary vaccination which will prevent these animals from breeding for the next two to three years&#8221;. Unlike sterilisation, a permanent, one-time procedure, immunocontraceptive vaccines stimulate an animal’s immune system to temporarily prevent it from fertilising offspring. The chosen site for the pilot programme is Pune’s Junnar forest division, where negative interactions between humans and leopards are resulting in a rising number of human deaths and injuries. Since 2021, 22 people have died, another 42 have been injured, and 16,593 cattle have been killed from leopard attacks, according to compensation records obtained by Mongabay-India from the Junnar forest division. During the same period, the department has distributed about ₹190 million in compensation. Surrogate leopard habitats The Junnar forest division covers about 5,826 sq km in the northern part of the Pune district, including the subdistricts of Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed and Shirur. Situated on&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/maharashtra-pilots-contraception-in-leopards-to-manage-conflict/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Marine litter traps thousands of hermit crabs</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/marine-litter-traps-thousands-of-hermit-crabs/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/marine-litter-traps-thousands-of-hermit-crabs/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Mar 2026 12:37:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crabs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine plastic debris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solid waste]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/10101339/7_Hermit-Crab_Little-Andaman_Vandana-K-scaled-e1773118507251-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37206</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Ecology, Human Wildlife Conflict, Islands, Oceans, Plastic, Pollution, Waste management, Water Pollution, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[If you stand on the soft silver sand on the aquamarine beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, you can often see plastic waste washed ashore. When you bend down and look closely, you might find a tiny crab trapped inside a bottle. You might try to rescue the crab by shaking it loose, but [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[If you stand on the soft silver sand on the aquamarine beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, you can often see plastic waste washed ashore. When you bend down and look closely, you might find a tiny crab trapped inside a bottle. You might try to rescue the crab by shaking it loose, but chances are that it has already died. This is not an isolated incident. Researchers recorded 4,783 instances from January to July 2024 where hermit crabs were entrapped in marine litter across 28 beaches in the Nicobar Islands, according to a new study published in January 2026. The study was conducted by Mayur Fulmali and Nehru Prabakaran from the Wildlife Institute of India. The researchers surveyed beaches across two island subgroups – Nancowry and Great Nicobar. &#8220;These small crabs are very important for the coastal ecosystem and in most marine litter studies, they are neglected,” said Fulmali. A plastic bottle with a hermit crab trapped inside, spotted on Trinket Island. The bottle orientation makes it possible for the hermit crabs to enter easily but exit becomes impossible due to the slippery inner surface and incline. Image by Mayur Fulmali. Approximately 4-12 million metric tonnes of plastic waste enters oceans annually, causing widespread harm. The study notes that Nicobar Islands are particularly vulnerable to marine debris because they are located near the Malacca Strait, one of the world&#8217;s busiest shipping routes. Various ocean currents transport enormous quantities of plastic waste from neighbouring countries and deposit it on&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/marine-litter-traps-thousands-of-hermit-crabs/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study finds counterintuitive rise in elephant deaths after organised monitoring</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-finds-counterintuitive-rise-in-elephant-deaths-after-organised-monitoring/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-finds-counterintuitive-rise-in-elephant-deaths-after-organised-monitoring/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Mar 2026 14:26:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crop loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human elephant conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tea estates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tea gardens]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/03222211/A_herd_of_wild_elephants_in_a_Tea_Garden-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37132</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Elephants, Forests, Human Rights, Human Wildlife Conflict, Plantations, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new study analysing two decades of organised crop-guarding efforts to deter elephants from entering farms has found a counterintuitive outcome: villages with active monitoring recorded two to three times more elephant deaths. The elephant monitoring squads were set up in 2004 in Assam’s Sonitpur district where human-elephant conflict had led to high fatalities on [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new study analysing two decades of organised crop-guarding efforts to deter elephants from entering farms has found a counterintuitive outcome: villages with active monitoring recorded two to three times more elephant deaths. The elephant monitoring squads were set up in 2004 in Assam’s Sonitpur district where human-elephant conflict had led to high fatalities on both sides. The aim behind setting up the squads was to keep elephants away from human habitation to reduce conflict and hence reduce deaths. The study set out to find whether this intervention was indeed effective in decreasing deaths, but found increased elephant mortality instead. The study findings however, need to be viewed with caution. While they show an association between an increased number of Antidepredation Squads (ADSs) and increased elephant deaths, they are not a direct proof of causation, notes WWF-India which helped set up these squads in Sonitpur. The data shows that there are more elephant deaths in areas where ADSs have been deployed. The reason for increased deaths, says study author Nitin Sekar, could be that ADSs result in more regular, organised, and effective driving of elephants than occurs in communities without ADSs.&#8221;It seems plausible that ADSs result in more regular, organised, and effective driving of elephants than occurs in communities without ADSs, and that elephants being chased in this way are less attentive to their surroundings (especially since drives often happen in the dark) and are more likely to run into an electric wire or fall into a trench,&#8221; Sekar said.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-finds-counterintuitive-rise-in-elephant-deaths-after-organised-monitoring/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-finds-counterintuitive-rise-in-elephant-deaths-after-organised-monitoring/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Data-driven visitor management is vital for protected areas [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/data-driven-visitor-management-is-vital-for-protected-areas-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/data-driven-visitor-management-is-vital-for-protected-areas-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Mar 2026 13:17:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pradeep Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ecotourism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat degradation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/02102811/Indore-City-View-from-Shikargah-of-Ralamandal_photo-shared-by-Ritesh-Kabia-scaled-e1772427529703-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37081</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Protected Areas, Tourism, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Across India, protected areas are witnessing a steady rise in visitors. From sprawling national parks to small wildlife sanctuaries on the fringes of major cities, nature tourism is booming. This growth is often celebrated as a sign of increasing public interest in conservation. But beyond the headline of visitor numbers, a quieter and a more [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Across India, protected areas are witnessing a steady rise in visitors. From sprawling national parks to small wildlife sanctuaries on the fringes of major cities, nature tourism is booming. This growth is often celebrated as a sign of increasing public interest in conservation. But beyond the headline of visitor numbers, a quieter and a more complex question remains largely unexamined: what happens to ecosystems when popularity turns into pressure? Ralamandal Wildlife Sanctuary, located on the outskirts of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, offers a revealing case study. Spread across an area just over 2 square kilometres, Ralamandal is one of the smallest wildlife sanctuaries in the state. Yet its proximity to the rapidly expanding Indore city makes it one of the most heavily visited forest landscapes in the region. The sanctuary’s history dates to the Holkar period, when the hill forest served as a royal hunting ground, or shikargah. Today, a hilltop structure built in 1905 serves as a museum, offering panoramic views of Indore, Bilawali Tank, and the surrounding mountain hills such as Devguradiya, Umrikheda, Datuni, Renuka and Rann Bhawar. This blend of nature and history attracts a diverse crowd — from fitness enthusiasts and students to weekend tourists. However, forest department data has revealed that the average revenue generated per visitor has stagnated or declined. Visitor data from the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department shows that a large share of this footfall is concentrated between May and September. During these months, daily visitor numbers rise sharply, placing heavy pressure on&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/data-driven-visitor-management-is-vital-for-protected-areas-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Land acquired for strengthening elephant corridors, pressurises farmer livelihoods [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/land-acquired-for-strengthening-elephant-corridors-pressurises-farmer-livelihoods-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/land-acquired-for-strengthening-elephant-corridors-pressurises-farmer-livelihoods-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Feb 2026 11:41:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ananda Siddhartha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elephant corridors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife corridors]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/16000504/1.-A-board-erected-on-land-purchased-to-strengthen-an-elephant-corridor-adjoining-the-Biligiri-Rangaswamy-Wildlife-Sanctuary-and-Tiger-Reserve-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36899</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Conservation, Elephants, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Protected Areas, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Acquiring agricultural land has been one of the strategies to strengthen elephant corridors in India, framed as a way to enable elephant movement between protected areas and reduce human-elephant conflict, among other reasons. Yet, this strategy approach plays out in complex and fragile rural landscapes with complicated tenurial arrangements, an aspect that has received little [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Acquiring agricultural land has been one of the strategies to strengthen elephant corridors in India, framed as a way to enable elephant movement between protected areas and reduce human-elephant conflict, among other reasons. Yet, this strategy approach plays out in complex and fragile rural landscapes with complicated tenurial arrangements, an aspect that has received little attention. “First, they said that the forest was for the tiger. Now, they are saying this land is for the elephant. There has been no change after they bought the land. Elephants are still destroying crops,” said a farmer whose neighbour’s land was acquired to strengthen an elephant corridor connecting the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve in Karnataka with the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. Forest officials inspect crops damaged by elephants near Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary. Acquiring agricultural land has been one of the strategies to strengthen elephant corridors in rural India, a strategy that leaves farmers facing multiple pressures. Image by Ananda Siddhartha. A corridor links separated habitats, enabling animals to move between them, safely. A push for elephant corridors in India gathered momentum in 2005 with the publication of a report titled Right of Passage: Elephant Corridors of India, that identified 88 corridors across the country. The report was the outcome of a collaboration between conservation NGOs, researchers, state forest departments and Project Elephant, a national government initiative to protect the elephant. Since then, the list of corridors has steadily grown. An updated version in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/land-acquired-for-strengthening-elephant-corridors-pressurises-farmer-livelihoods-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Carnivores alter behaviour to coexist in a high-altitude Himalayan valley</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/carnivores-alter-behaviour-to-coexist-in-a-high-altitude-himalayan-valley/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/carnivores-alter-behaviour-to-coexist-in-a-high-altitude-himalayan-valley/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Feb 2026 11:22:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carnivores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow leopards]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/11230057/Red-foxes-were-more-common-even-in-areas-used-by-snow-leopards-wolves-and-dogs-likely-because-they-can-exploit-scavenging-opportunities.-Photo-Credit-WII-Camera-Trap-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36842</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Ecology, Himalayas, and Human Wildlife Conflict]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[High in the Trans-Himalayan landscape of Spiti, life is shaped by extremes. The air is thin, winters plunge to -40°C, and food is scarce for much of the year. For the region’s carnivores — snow leopards, Himalayan wolves, red foxes, and an increasingly visible newcomer, free-ranging dogs — survival depends on navigating a landscape under [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[High in the Trans-Himalayan landscape of Spiti, life is shaped by extremes. The air is thin, winters plunge to -40°C, and food is scarce for much of the year. For the region’s carnivores — snow leopards, Himalayan wolves, red foxes, and an increasingly visible newcomer, free-ranging dogs — survival depends on navigating a landscape under growing human pressure. New research shows how these predators are quietly rearranging their lives to coexist. “Studying them together is essential because none of them function in isolation; each species’ behaviour and survival are shaped by the others and by human influence,” says Priyanka Justa, Ph.D. student at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the study’s co-author. A landscape under pressure Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti Valley lies within the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, spanning elevations from about 3,600 to over 6,700 metres. Snow leopards and Himalayan wolves occupy the top of the food web, while red foxes operate as smaller, yet highly adaptable mid-ranking predators. In the recent decades, free-ranging dogs have joined this carnivore group, subsidised by food waste from villages and tourism. “Spiti is almost a natural stress test for understanding carnivore coexistence. Everything is scarce, seasonal, and highly concentrated. This naturally intensifies competition and makes trade-offs between risk, food, and space much sharper and easier to detect,” says Justa. For this study, the researchers focused on five areas across Spiti Valley (Chandratal, Kibber, Pin Valley, Mane, and Gue), each differing in tourism intensity, settlements, livestock presence, predator-prey dynamics and the presence of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/carnivores-alter-behaviour-to-coexist-in-a-high-altitude-himalayan-valley/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A community-managed goat bank supports farmers for livestock losses</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-community-managed-goat-bank-supports-farmers-for-livestock-losses/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-community-managed-goat-bank-supports-farmers-for-livestock-losses/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Feb 2026 16:11:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun GuhaShailesh Shrivastava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[communities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fishing cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/11111753/Bimal-Mahato-from-Purulia--e1770791008546-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36831</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Big Cats, Cats, Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Indigenous Rights, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[During his vacations, Bimal Mahato, a 23-year-old student, takes care of the 15 goats that his family owns. He takes the herd for grazing to a forest near his village Haratan, in West Bengal’s Purulia district. In July 2025, while preparing to return after one such outing, Mahato counted his goats and found one missing. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[During his vacations, Bimal Mahato, a 23-year-old student, takes care of the 15 goats that his family owns. He takes the herd for grazing to a forest near his village Haratan, in West Bengal’s Purulia district. In July 2025, while preparing to return after one such outing, Mahato counted his goats and found one missing. “In this forest adjacent to our village, on the other side of which lies Jharkhand, there are quite a few carnivores. I saw flashes of something dragging my goat away but couldn&#8217;t recognise the animal properly,” Mahato describes. “There isn&#8217;t much wolf presence in this forest, and it would be difficult for a small animal like a jackal to drag a goat so quickly,” he added. Mahato predicted that it could’ve been a bigger animal, like a leopard, which took the goat away. He also noted that a leopard was spotted quite a few times last year, so there may be some correlation. A wetland in Howrah. The region hosts carnivores like fishing cats, wolves, hyenas, jackals and leopards, which often prey on livestock. Image by Samrat Chakraborty. In the same month, Mahato received Purulia&#8217;s first &#8216;replacement goat&#8217; as compensation, provided through a Seed Goat Bank. The project, launched in 2024 in the district&#8217;s Simni area is an initiative of the West Bengal-based environmental NGO, Human and Environment Alliance League (HEAL). The community-operated Seed Goat Bank was started with a WWF India-funded pilot project in Purulia for carnivore conservation through a community-based approach, Vasudha Mishra,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-community-managed-goat-bank-supports-farmers-for-livestock-losses/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/a-community-managed-goat-bank-supports-farmers-for-livestock-losses/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Why wolf psychology matters for community-based conservation [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-wolf-psychology-matters-for-community-based-conservation-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-wolf-psychology-matters-for-community-based-conservation-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Feb 2026 13:04:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Devvrat SinghRohit R.S. Jha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grassland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wolf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wolves]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/05102951/Indian_Wolf-e1770273062621-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36749</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[During March to October 2024, panic gripped several villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Children were vanishing, snatched from courtyards and fields by a predator many had only heard of in folklore: the Indian wolf. For months, fear and confusion rippled through the community. Forest officials searched for answers, experts debated theories, and villagers kept [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[During March to October 2024, panic gripped several villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Children were vanishing, snatched from courtyards and fields by a predator many had only heard of in folklore: the Indian wolf. For months, fear and confusion rippled through the community. Forest officials searched for answers, experts debated theories, and villagers kept sleepless night vigils. But when the reports came in, explanations ranged from rabies to mistaken identity — perhaps feral dogs or wolf-dog hybrids — and various ecological drivers of conflict. The attacks were attributed to a specific pack of six wolves. Five of these wolves were captured by the forest department (one died of stress during capture). The sixth and final wolf was beaten to death by villagers in October, when it attempted to attack a goat. The relief proved temporary, and after nearly a year, as similar events recur — accompanied by drastic measures from the state forest department, including the killing of wolves — several underlying aspects remain unanswered. To uncover the reality of such cases, the lead author, along with senior veterinarian Utkarsh Shukla, conducted a field investigation in Mahasi Tehsil of Bahraich district — one of the worst-hit areas — in the winter of 2024. The findings challenge long-held beliefs about wolf intelligence and human-wolf interactions. A wolf shaped by human landscapes The Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes), recently listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is not an animal of distant forests and untouched wilderness.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/why-wolf-psychology-matters-for-community-based-conservation-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Traditional fishers turn rescuers in a win for declining marine wildlife [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/traditional-fishers-turn-rescuers-in-a-win-for-declining-marine-wildlife-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/traditional-fishers-turn-rescuers-in-a-win-for-declining-marine-wildlife-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jan 2026 14:38:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[I. SanthanamariM. Fathima HannaM. Soubadra DevyMaria Antony P.Teresa Scholastica ThomasVinod M. Kumar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bycatch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtles]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://india.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36616</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Fish, Fishing, Human Wildlife Conflict, Hunting, Oceans, Overfishing, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Neither turtles nor dolphins harm us when we rescue them. Many people from our village have saved them before. They cooperate with us and do not cause any trouble,” says Sheenik Abdullah, a 23-year-old fisher-rescuer from Valinokkam in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu. Fishers along the Gulf of Mannar coast in southern Tamil Nadu once caught [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Neither turtles nor dolphins harm us when we rescue them. Many people from our village have saved them before. They cooperate with us and do not cause any trouble,” says Sheenik Abdullah, a 23-year-old fisher-rescuer from Valinokkam in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu. Fishers along the Gulf of Mannar coast in southern Tamil Nadu once caught marine animals, including the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), and dugong (Dugong dugon). Today, many of them are recognised for protecting the very species they once pursued. This shift reflects a gradual reworking of human-marine relations, shaped by experiential learning at sea, locally grounded ecological knowledge, and state-led conservation incentives. In villages such as Keelamundal, Valinokam, and Mel Mundal, conservation is enacted through everyday decisions made on the shore and during fishing trips. A changing tide The waves crash loudly against the shore of Keelamundal as seagulls, known locally as kadal kaka, hover low above the surf. Fishing nets lie spread across the sand, mended by men and women who do not pause their work even as rain falls. Boats returning from the morning’s fishing trip are pulled ashore using tractors, while ice-filled storage boxes are opened to sort the catch ahead of evening sales. Fishers sort through the day’s catch in Keelamundal. The catch is carefully removed from the nets and collected into baskets and crates. Image by Vinod Kumar. For generations, the hunting of marine animals&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/traditional-fishers-turn-rescuers-in-a-win-for-declining-marine-wildlife-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Elephant’s death spotlights conditions in safari tourism</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/elephants-death-spotlights-conditions-in-safari-tourism/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/elephants-death-spotlights-conditions-in-safari-tourism/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Jan 2026 12:38:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Captive elephants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human elephant conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga National Park]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/12162022/Kaziranga_Elephant_Safari-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36438</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Elephants, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On the morning of December 11, 2025, Swarnamoyee, a 50-year-old safari elephant, had completed two trips carrying tourists in Kaziranga National Park (KNP), Assam. After this, Swarnamoyee collapsed unexpectedly on National Highway-715. After treatment, she managed to rise again briefly. But then she fell down again and this time, didn&#8217;t get up. Speaking to Mongabay-India, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On the morning of December 11, 2025, Swarnamoyee, a 50-year-old safari elephant, had completed two trips carrying tourists in Kaziranga National Park (KNP), Assam. After this, Swarnamoyee collapsed unexpectedly on National Highway-715. After treatment, she managed to rise again briefly. But then she fell down again and this time, didn&#8217;t get up. Speaking to Mongabay-India, Dr. S. Borgohain, Veterinary Officer, KNP, who treated the elephant, said, “As per our tentative diagnosis, the elephant died from respiratory failure. We conducted the postmortem as per which poisoning has been ruled out. There is no indication from the materials found in its digestive tract that the elephant was not eating properly. We have collected its vital organs like liver, lung, spleen, kidney etc. for further pathological tests at the forensic laboratory.” Bijit Dihingia, Range Officer, Bagori (Western Range), KNP told Mongabay-India, “During the tourist season in KNP (November-May), elephant safaris are in huge demand.” Elephant safaris are carried out mainly in two ranges — by private operators at Bagori (the western range) and by the forest department at Kohora (the central range). “While the elephants are required to carry out two trips daily (from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. and from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.), during the weekend they are made to carry out three as tourist inflow increases,” Dihingia said. “Currently there are 39 elephants running safaris for private operators. One elephant carries four adult tourists per trip and smaller elephants carry three people. It costs ₹1,350 per person per trip,”&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/elephants-death-spotlights-conditions-in-safari-tourism/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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