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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>Supreme court upholds centre&#8217;s power to notify post-facto clearance</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/supreme-court-upholds-centres-power-to-notify-post-facto-clearance/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/supreme-court-upholds-centres-power-to-notify-post-facto-clearance/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Aug 2026 16:28:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environmental Clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest clearance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/07135307/AP22207426732440-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39949</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Crime, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Forests, Industry, Land Rights, Law Enforcement, National Parks, Natural Resources, Protected Areas, Sustainability, and Wildlife Protection Act]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Supreme Court has struck down the centre&#8217;s 2021 Office Memorandum (OM) that created a mechanism for granting post facto environmental clearances to projects that violated prior environmental clearance norms. At the same time, it stated that the central government has the power to frame statutory amnesty schemes for specified categories of such violations under [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Supreme Court has struck down the centre&#8217;s 2021 Office Memorandum (OM) that created a mechanism for granting post facto environmental clearances to projects that violated prior environmental clearance norms. At the same time, it stated that the central government has the power to frame statutory amnesty schemes for specified categories of such violations under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. On July 29, the Supreme Court decided three connected writ petitions questioning the centre&#8217;s two amnesty schemes introduced in 2017 and 2021 to regularise projects that had started construction or operations without obtaining prior environmental clearance. The first scheme came through a notification issued in 2017, which gave projects that had violated prior environmental clearance requirements a one-time six-month window to seek clearance. In 2021, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued an OM prescribing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for granting post facto environmental clearances to such projects. Delivering the judgment, the three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi said, “…the OM does not satisfy the test of proportionality and reasonableness and is violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution”. The Court quashed the OM, although the ruling will operate only prospectively, the judgement said. However, the bench also stated that the central government could exercise its powers under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to issue statutory notifications framing amnesty schemes for specified categories of non-compliant projects. Environmental experts said this leaves open&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/supreme-court-upholds-centres-power-to-notify-post-facto-clearance/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>[Commentary] Amendments in the Forest Conservation Act enable community-led recognition of forests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/11/commentary-amendments-in-the-forest-conservation-act-enable-community-led-recognition-of-forests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/11/commentary-amendments-in-the-forest-conservation-act-enable-community-led-recognition-of-forests/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Nov 2023 10:06:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gautam Aredath]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/11/22223534/Loksamanvay_initiatives_for_forest_conservation_village_mapping_at_sindidigar_Toranmal_maharashtra_6_nov_2019-2-e1700672755128-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=25407</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Law, Forests, and Law Enforcement]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The latest amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, have been widely criticised for diluting the legal safeguards applicable to forest lands. Incidentally, this coincides with the union government’s ascendant focus, demonstrated especially through international fora and commitments, on the climate problem and on nature-based solutions to development challenges. This narrative also finds expression in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The latest amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, have been widely criticised for diluting the legal safeguards applicable to forest lands. Incidentally, this coincides with the union government’s ascendant focus, demonstrated especially through international fora and commitments, on the climate problem and on nature-based solutions to development challenges. This narrative also finds expression in the newly inserted preamble of the Act using the vocabulary of sustainable development and carbon neutrality. However, the effect of the amendments has been the (re)definition of forests to narrow their scope, in addition to encroaching on the definition of “non-forest purpose” thereby enabling diversions for a number of questionable purposes. Critics of the move have argued that the amendments will exclude 28% of India’s forest cover, including large swathes of natural growth forests, from the scope of the Act. This is unlikely to be compensated quantitatively or qualitatively by increasing plantations and trees outside forests which is one of the government’s stated objectives. Their justification of improving the lives of forest dependent communities is also on a weak footing because the revised law eliminates the requirement of appraising supposed benefits, such as improved connectivity or ecotourism, against the costs, including the loss of ecosystem services that these communities depend on. Nilgiri mountain railways. Photo by B. Balaji/Flickr. Read more: Controversial forest amendment bill passed in Lok Sabha, but key questions remain unanswered The challenge of defining a forest The explicit definition of forests in the 2023 amendment has been designed to reverse the gains&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/11/commentary-amendments-in-the-forest-conservation-act-enable-community-led-recognition-of-forests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>[Commentary] The underbelly of the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2023</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/04/commentary-the-underbelly-of-the-forest-conservation-amendment-bill-2023/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/04/commentary-the-underbelly-of-the-forest-conservation-amendment-bill-2023/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Apr 2023 15:24:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C. R. Bijoy]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/04/07100339/Banner-for-Commentary-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=22373</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Forest Rights Act, Forests, and Law Enforcement]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill 2023 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 29th March, to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (FCA). It was sent to the Joint Committee of the Parliament instead of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Technology, Environment and Forests, one of the eight committees of the Rajya Sabha. The [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill 2023 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 29th March, to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (FCA). It was sent to the Joint Committee of the Parliament instead of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Technology, Environment and Forests, one of the eight committees of the Rajya Sabha. The Joint Committee is expected to submit its report with recommendations in the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament. The critiques of the Forest Amendment Bill revolve mostly around the ‘all-too-glaring’ attempts to minimise the extent of forest lands (that fall within the scope of FCA) for the diversion for non-forestry activities. Forest and forest governance have come a long way undergoing fundamental changes since colonial times. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) seems to be impervious of this transformation. Forests are no longer looked upon for maximising revenue extraction through its widespread destruction. The exclusionary fortress conservation approach is antithetical to conservation science. Human co-existence with wildlife is the unassailable law of nature. Decolonisation and democratisation of the forest governance is now vital to deal with the climate crisis and biodiversity loss and to ensure that ecology and livelihoods are at the core of conservation. Forest conservation in law and governance Way back in the 1970s, the state governments diverted and de-reserved forest lands and promoted forest encroachment for various purposes, particularly agriculture, which led to the rapid destruction of forests. Vast forest areas had vanished. The state governments buckled under domestic&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/04/commentary-the-underbelly-of-the-forest-conservation-amendment-bill-2023/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Book review] Lawscape behind landmarks: India’s history of environmental laws and policies</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/03/book-review-lawscape-behind-landmarks-indias-history-of-environmental-laws-and-policies/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/03/book-review-lawscape-behind-landmarks-indias-history-of-environmental-laws-and-policies/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Mar 2023 12:06:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/03/16104408/Sundarbans-scaled-e1678948094958-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=22094</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy and Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Economics, Environmental Law, Governance, and Law Enforcement]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When I joined The Hindu Business Line newspaper as a young reporter in 1993, I was given environment as my beat of choice. We, the lowest in the food chain, were expected to cover more than one beat. So, at the editorial meeting, I was asked to cover leather and textile industries, along with a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When I joined The Hindu Business Line newspaper as a young reporter in 1993, I was given environment as my beat of choice. We, the lowest in the food chain, were expected to cover more than one beat. So, at the editorial meeting, I was asked to cover leather and textile industries, along with a few others. The editor’s logic was inarguable – there was severe pollution in leather tanning and textile dyeing, thus there was synergy with the environment beat. Not very far from Chennai – from where I was reporting – the Vellore Citizen’s Welfare Forum had filed a case in the Supreme Court against the leather tanneries polluting the Palar river basin, the underlying aquifer and lands. In 1996, this case resulted in a landmark judgement by Justice Kuldip Singh. Months before he retired in 1996, Singh went on to author many other important judgements on the environment, thereby earning himself the sobriquet of the “Green Judge.” Supreme Court lawyer M.C. Mehta argued for the petitioner in the Vellore tanneries case. In fact, Mehta was the petitioner in multiple cases. The mid-1990s was a period of judicial activism, and environmental cases were a significant portion of those that came for adjudication. Environmental Law and Policy in India: Cases and Materials by Shyam Divan and Armin Rosencranz comprehensively covers the remarkable environmental adjudication process in the period of the 1990s, and frames it within India’s environmental legislation history. In the broader framework, the book contextualises the Indian environmental&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/03/book-review-lawscape-behind-landmarks-indias-history-of-environmental-laws-and-policies/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] A safe passage for the jumbos to the islands on the Brahmaputra</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/02/commentary-a-safe-passage-for-the-jumbos-through-the-islands-on-the-brahmaputra/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/02/commentary-a-safe-passage-for-the-jumbos-through-the-islands-on-the-brahmaputra/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Feb 2023 12:15:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anupam SarmahArjun KamdarDavid SmithHiten Kumar Baishya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elephant corridors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elephants]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/02/13135710/c3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=21707</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Human Wildlife Conflict, Industry, and Law Enforcement]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nipon Bora, 40, hoists his son onto his shoulders near the village of Pokhiajar in the Sonitpur district of Assam. A large herd of elephants with several tiny calves is crossing a dirt track that runs through the Durrung Tea Estate and Bora&#8217;s toddler loves to see them amble across. These large herds, at times [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nipon Bora, 40, hoists his son onto his shoulders near the village of Pokhiajar in the Sonitpur district of Assam. A large herd of elephants with several tiny calves is crossing a dirt track that runs through the Durrung Tea Estate and Bora&#8217;s toddler loves to see them amble across. These large herds, at times reaching 90 individual elephants are known to move from the forests at the foothills of the Himalaya down to the Brahmaputra every winter, a distance of about 40 kilometres. This pattern has been noted for at least a century, with old records kept by British elephant capture officers noting this seasonal migration. Elephants crossing the Nameri-Sonai Rupai-Arimora Chapori elephant corridor at Deputa. This is the most critical part of the corridor where it intersects the national highway. Photo from the corridor proposal document (2019). While a good part of the elephant habitat in the region has been lost over the past few decades, two strongholds of elephants still exist in the Sonitpur district –Nameri National Park to the east and Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary to the west. These elephants also seasonally use the river islands on the Brahmaputra around Arimora Chapori. In order to provide these elephants living on the North Bank of the Brahmaputra with a safe passage along their historical paths, the State had proposed an elephant corridor, the Nameri-Sonai Rupai-Arimora Chapori (NSA) corridor in 2019. This corridor follows the paths that elephants typically take like clockwork each winter. Map from the NSA&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/02/commentary-a-safe-passage-for-the-jumbos-through-the-islands-on-the-brahmaputra/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Commentary] Pastoralists of Gujarat need a passage to participate in governance</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/commentary-docketed-as-otfds-pastoralists-of-gujarat-need-passage/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/commentary-docketed-as-otfds-pastoralists-of-gujarat-need-passage/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jun 2022 16:37:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rituja Mitra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pastoralism]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/06/22075126/Pastoralists-in-the-CFR-area-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18778</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Law, Forest Rights Act, Forests, Land Rights, and Law Enforcement]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat’s diverse geographical landscapes are home to several indigenous communities pursuing traditional occupations. The hilly terrain in the state’s eastern, northern and southern belts comprise significant tribal populations. The western peninsular belt comprises Saurashtra and Kachchh regions where the landscape is a peculiar example of a mixed thorn and scrub forest, an expanse of rangelands [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat’s diverse geographical landscapes are home to several indigenous communities pursuing traditional occupations. The hilly terrain in the state’s eastern, northern and southern belts comprise significant tribal populations. The western peninsular belt comprises Saurashtra and Kachchh regions where the landscape is a peculiar example of a mixed thorn and scrub forest, an expanse of rangelands and mangrove belts that have thriving biodiversity. The ecosystem of this belt has sustained the lives and livelihood of nomadic pastoralists like Bharwads, Rabaris, Fakirani Jats, Sama and Charans among other groups. These pastoralists who have been customarily using the forest and rangelands for grazing of their livestock and collecting non-timber forest produce like gum and honey, have been contributing more than 86% to the milk economy of the state. However, their participation in the governance and management of the resources they rely upon, remains negligible. Nomadic pastoralists and their rights The state government of Gujarat, under the provisions of The Gujarat Panchayats Act (1993) has devolved statutory powers to the gram sabha to act upon in the matters relating to the grazing areas. In the context of nomadic pastoralists, the participation in panchayat’s gram sabha to address their issues such as access to grazing in forests, encroachment removals from gochar land, creation of indents for livestock vaccination and other issues, are hardly even put forward. An argument that is placed regarding this issue is that most nomadic pastoralists stay far from the village for about eight months of the year, and once they return&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/commentary-docketed-as-otfds-pastoralists-of-gujarat-need-passage/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Interview] ‘There is so much you can do in the forest service’, says IFS Vanjulavalli Sridhar</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/interview-there-is-so-much-you-can-do-in-the-forest-service-says-ifs-vanjulavalli-sridhar/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/interview-there-is-so-much-you-can-do-in-the-forest-service-says-ifs-vanjulavalli-sridhar/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Feb 2021 13:24:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/02/02225815/Sridhar-1-e1612504239766-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=13118</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Law, Law Enforcement, and Protected Areas]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With busy doctors as parents, annual visits to wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the Western Ghats punctuated Vanjulavalli Sridhar&#8217;s childhood, sparking and nurturing her love for forests and wildlife. From scrubbing elephants with the fruit of the monkey bread tree in Mudumalai forests in Tamil Nadu to using her parents’ hospital&#8217;s ambulance for wildlife [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With busy doctors as parents, annual visits to wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the Western Ghats punctuated Vanjulavalli Sridhar&#8217;s childhood, sparking and nurturing her love for forests and wildlife. From scrubbing elephants with the fruit of the monkey bread tree in Mudumalai forests in Tamil Nadu to using her parents’ hospital&#8217;s ambulance for wildlife rescue in her native Salem, Sridhar was clear early on that she wanted to study forests and wildlife conservation. Now, nine years into her stint with the Indian Forest Service (IFS)’s AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre, the 31-year-old Sridhar is applying her knowledge on the ground. Sridhar has often ruffled feathers with authorities for her actions against violations of forests and wildlife laws. As a mother to two boys, she has learnt to identify and stand her ground against gender-based discrimination, especially towards working mothers. Sridhar is known for her staunch position against forest diversion in the Andamans archipelago, intervening in deer poaching on the islands, and handling sensitive issues of tribal communities in Puducherry who have not completely weaned off hunting. Currently the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Puducherry, Sridhar asserts: “Solutions are simple, rules exist, it’s people who complicate things.” She debunks the notion that “you can’t do much if you are honest and straightforward” in administrative posts. “There is so much you can do,” says Sridhar, with an inspiring determination. Sridhar followed up her B.Sc. in Forestry from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) with a Masters in Wildlife Biology&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/interview-there-is-so-much-you-can-do-in-the-forest-service-says-ifs-vanjulavalli-sridhar/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Nilgiris district collector says, environment before development</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/a-district-collector-in-the-nilgiris-says-environment-before-development/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/a-district-collector-in-the-nilgiris-says-environment-before-development/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Sep 2020 14:10:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COVID-19]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/09/23092042/profile-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=11337</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Eco Hope and Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Indigenous Peoples, Law Enforcement, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When it comes to taking crucial decisions, J. Innocent Divya, an administrative officer of the mountainous Nilgiris district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, goes by the mantra &#8212; be the change that you want to see. Opportunities to implement this mantra were plenty three years ago when she was appointed as the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When it comes to taking crucial decisions, J. Innocent Divya, an administrative officer of the mountainous Nilgiris district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, goes by the mantra &#8212; be the change that you want to see. Opportunities to implement this mantra were plenty three years ago when she was appointed as the district collector of the ecologically rich but fragile Nilgiris district. The Nilgiris or the Blue Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges, is located at the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka states. The Nilgiris is a part of the Western Ghats and also the first UNESCO-declared biosphere reserve in India. The mountain range is not just a beautiful sight to behold, it is also a crucial habitat for native biodiversity and is home to many indigenous communities. The Nilgiris district has all the six tribal groups found in Tamil Nadu, which have been renamed as the &#8220;Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups&#8221; (PVTG). “When I took charge of the district, the two things that struck me as high priorities were environment protection and developing basic amenities for the tribals who are the lords of this land,” said 44-year-old Divya. The fragile ecosystem and the pressure that the district faces from increasing tourism (the district has a population of 7.5 lakhs but receives a tourist inflow of 50 lakh people annually) made her realise the need for decisions safeguarding the environment. She quotes actor-environmental activist Ed Begley to emphasise the need for taking stern actions to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/a-district-collector-in-the-nilgiris-says-environment-before-development/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/a-district-collector-in-the-nilgiris-says-environment-before-development/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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					<title>Excess Baggage: How wildlife is trafficked by air in and out of India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/07/excess-baggage-how-wildlife-is-trafficked-by-air-in-and-out-of-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/07/excess-baggage-how-wildlife-is-trafficked-by-air-in-and-out-of-india/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jul 2020 11:59:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mahima Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/07/09174623/african-gray-parrot-195758_1920-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=10523</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Crime, Environmental Law, Law Enforcement, Pet Trade, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The global illegal trade in wildlife is worth upto US$ 19 billion annually, and is the fourth largest illicit market after drugs, counterfeit, and human trafficking. On June 21, 2020, Kolkata airport officials arrested a man with exotic macaws and parrots, native to South America and New Guinea. The birds were smuggled from Bangladesh, and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The global illegal trade in wildlife is worth upto US$ 19 billion annually, and is the fourth largest illicit market after drugs, counterfeit, and human trafficking. On June 21, 2020, Kolkata airport officials arrested a man with exotic macaws and parrots, native to South America and New Guinea. The birds were smuggled from Bangladesh, and headed for Bengaluru, local media reported. This isn’t an isolated incident. Wildlife traffickers routinely use the gaps in the rapidly expanding air transport sector to smuggle endangered and exotic live animals, plants, and their parts. Wildlife trade poses the second-biggest direct threat to the survival of species after habitat destruction. “India’s fast-growing air transport sector can pose a major problem,” said Saket Badola, head of the India office of TRAFFIC, a global wildlife trade monitoring network. The number of airports in India increased from 50 in 2009 to 127 in 2019, including 23 international airports which handled 66.54 million passengers in 2019-2020. “Wildlife trafficking by the air is generally of high-end, high-value products,” explained Badola. In comparison, smuggling by seaports or land is large in volume or size. India is among the top 20 countries for illegal wildlife trade. Chennai and Mumbai airports act as key destinations and origin points for traffickers, according to Runway to Extinction, a report published by C4ADS as part of the USAID ROUTES (Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species) Partnership in May 2020. The ROUTES partnership is global and multi-sectoral international with aim to disrupt wildlife trafficking activities. The&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/07/excess-baggage-how-wildlife-is-trafficked-by-air-in-and-out-of-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>10</slash:comments>
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					<title>States can alter activities prohibited in wetlands as per latest guidelines</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/states-can-alter-activities-prohibited-in-wetlands-as-per-latest-guidelines/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/states-can-alter-activities-prohibited-in-wetlands-as-per-latest-guidelines/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Jan 2020 11:45:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/01/13103749/Banner-5-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8250</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Environmental Law, Law Enforcement, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nearly two and a half years after it had notified the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 for conservation and management of wetlands in the country, the Indian government’s environment ministry has now come out with guidelines to support state governments in the implementation of the rules. The document aims to guide states in preparing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nearly two and a half years after it had notified the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 for conservation and management of wetlands in the country, the Indian government’s environment ministry has now come out with guidelines to support state governments in the implementation of the rules. The document aims to guide states in preparing a list of wetlands, identifying wetlands for notification under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, delineating wetlands, wetlands complexes and zone of influence, developing a list of activities to be regulated and permitted and developing an integrated management plan for wetlands, which are rich reservoirs of biodiversity. The guidelines come just ahead of February 2 which is celebrated as World Wetlands Day every year. The guidelines clarified that all wetlands, irrespective of their location, size, ownership, biodiversity, or ecosystem services values, can be notified under the Wetlands Rules 2017, except river channels, paddy fields, human-made waterbodies specifically constructed for drinking water, aquaculture, salt production, recreation, irrigation purposes, wetlands falling within areas covered under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011. The Ramsar Convention, which is an international intergovernmental treaty for conservation of wetlands, to which India is a party, defines wetlands as &#8220;areas of marsh, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which, at low tides, does not exceed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/states-can-alter-activities-prohibited-in-wetlands-as-per-latest-guidelines/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>Who killed the wandering rhino in Assam?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/09/who-killed-the-wandering-rhino-in-assam/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/09/who-killed-the-wandering-rhino-in-assam/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Sep 2019 14:56:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/09/09111317/Rhino-Banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=6686</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Law Enforcement, Poaching, Rhinos, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On February 5, 2018, rangers at Orang National Park in the northeast Indian state of Assam received multiple phone calls from villagers reporting sightings of a stray rhino. Dawdling and lounging on one of the numerous islands in the Brahmaputra River, the rhino had traveled about 10 kilometres from the safety of the park, which [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On February 5, 2018, rangers at Orang National Park in the northeast Indian state of Assam received multiple phone calls from villagers reporting sightings of a stray rhino. Dawdling and lounging on one of the numerous islands in the Brahmaputra River, the rhino had traveled about 10 kilometres from the safety of the park, which harbors 102 greater one-horned rhinoceroses (Rhinoceros unicornis). It isn’t uncommon for rhinos to stray out of the protected habitats in Assam. A study in one sanctuary, Pobitora, found that as many as 40 percent of the rhinos there wandered in and out of the sanctuary&#8217;s borders on a daily basis. Monitoring these animals, and if necessary corralling them back to safety, is a regular part of the state forest department&#8217;s job. This particular case, however, would come to a bad end for both the rhino and the wildlife department. Eight months after the rhino first wandered out of Orang, rangers completely lost track of her — a lapse that forest officials only publicly acknowledged after it was leaked to the media. She wasn&#8217;t seen again until June 2019, when her skeleton was unearthed in the vicinity of a forest guard encampment, leaving forest officials facing uncomfortable questions about what exactly happened to the animal, and why officials had suppressed and distorted information about her disappearance. Oorang National Park in Assam. Map made with Datawrapper. A wandering rhino It all started ordinarily enough, recalls Ramesh Kumar Gogoi, the divisional forest officer of Mangaldai wildlife division and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/09/who-killed-the-wandering-rhino-in-assam/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>India begins regulating its fisheries</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/fishing-india-begins-regulating-its-fisheries/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/fishing-india-begins-regulating-its-fisheries/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jul 2019 14:16:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/07/22103724/VChandrashekhar_IndiaFish_PB210136_BannerMI-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=6074</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Fish, Fishing, Governance, Law Enforcement, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Last month, June 2019, the Indian government created its first ministry for fisheries. Although it clubs fishing together, rather oddly, with animal husbandry and dairy, the move fulfills a long-standing demand of the country’s fishing community and becomes the latest, and potentially the most important, of India’s slowly growing efforts to better regulate and manage [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Last month, June 2019, the Indian government created its first ministry for fisheries. Although it clubs fishing together, rather oddly, with animal husbandry and dairy, the move fulfills a long-standing demand of the country’s fishing community and becomes the latest, and potentially the most important, of India’s slowly growing efforts to better regulate and manage its fisheries. Fishing has transformed over the decades from a small-scale artisanal practice into an increasingly industrialised sector. The widespread adoption of mechanised boats helped hike India’s fish catch from an estimated 0.53 million metric tons in 1950 to 3.83 million metric tons in 2017. Until recently, this growth was largely unregulated, leading to over-capacity of fishing boats, inter-state conflict and overfishing of some species. But as yields have slowed in the past decade, including an unexpected crash in the sardine catch, India’s coastal states have begun to take measures to make fishing more sustainable. Some are also pressing for better national regulation. In recent years, some states have introduced rules to extend the national ban on fishing during the monsoon — the one notable pre-existing policy instituted to let fish spawn as well as improve fisherfolk’s safety. Some new state rules also regulate gear to reduce indiscriminate fishing. These include controls on the mesh size of nets as well as outright bans on practices like bull trawling, in which massive nets sweep everything up from the seafloor. Southern states are also instituting rules on the minimum legal size of fish to reduce the catch&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/fishing-india-begins-regulating-its-fisheries/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Plastic ban in J&#038;K opens door for revival of wicker crafts</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/06/plastic-ban-in-jk-opens-door-for-revival-of-wicker-crafts/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/06/plastic-ban-in-jk-opens-door-for-revival-of-wicker-crafts/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Jun 2019 10:59:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Athar Parvaiz]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/06/11151435/Wicker-Artisans-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=5558</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Law Enforcement, Plastic, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“People now prefer plastic for everything,” rued Ghulam Rasool Ganie, as he deftly worked on a wicker basket, at his residence in Sogman Lolab, some hundred kilometres north of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital. “These days, I hardly sell twenty baskets a month on an average.” Ganie sold over seventy wicker baskets a month [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“People now prefer plastic for everything,” rued Ghulam Rasool Ganie, as he deftly worked on a wicker basket, at his residence in Sogman Lolab, some hundred kilometres north of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital. “These days, I hardly sell twenty baskets a month on an average.” Ganie sold over seventy wicker baskets a month until a few years ago, at prices ranging from 30 to 100 rupees per basket. But that era, according to Ganie, “has gone now.” The story of falling sales of traditional wicker baskets is a common one in many artisans’ households in Kashmir. A decade ago, these baskets made from locally produced kaani (wicker) by Ganie and his fellow craftsmen, were a familiar sight in villages here, used in carrying and storing farm-produce and other commodities. But now, artisans like Ganie are compelled to shore up their income by working as manual labour at construction sites. The ubiquitous plastic bag has made deep inroads into rural Kashmir, as in the rest of India. While the use of these bags has been banned through legislation in several states, including in Jammu and Kashmir, the ban has not always been effective. As a case in point, plastic bags and containers have steadily taken the place of traditional kranjul wicker baskets that women in Kashmir used to carry vegetables in. And people are now reluctant to give up the “plastic habit”, even in the face of a ban. In March of this year, the state government imposed a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/06/plastic-ban-in-jk-opens-door-for-revival-of-wicker-crafts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>Tiger range countries commit to course correction to take forward conservation</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/01/tiger-range-countries-commit-to-course-correction-to-take-forward-conservation/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/01/tiger-range-countries-commit-to-course-correction-to-take-forward-conservation/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Jan 2019 11:45:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/01/29224937/Banner1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=3996</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Human Wildlife Conflict, Law Enforcement, Protected Areas, Tigers, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the clock is ticking towards the 2022 deadline for the Global Tiger Recovery Programme, 11 of the 13 tiger range countries met at New Delhi to take stock of their goal to double tiger numbers. The meeting revealed that rising human-tiger conflict, loss of habitat, lack of prey base and funds continue to remain some [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the clock is ticking towards the 2022 deadline for the Global Tiger Recovery Programme, 11 of the 13 tiger range countries met at New Delhi to take stock of their goal to double tiger numbers. The meeting revealed that rising human-tiger conflict, loss of habitat, lack of prey base and funds continue to remain some of the top challenges in pursuit of this goal. Policymakers and experts opined that there is a need for an approach where each country can address their specific issues with enough international cooperation while still keeping the eyes on the larger goal. In 2010, the St. Petersburg Declaration was adopted, where the 13 tiger range countries had resolved to double global wild tiger population by 2022. In 2010, global tiger numbers were pegged at around 3200. The goal of doubling tiger populations was touted to be the highest level of commitment to revive tiger populations. Halfway toward the deadline of achieving over 6,000 tigers by 2022, a report in April 2016 revealed that after decades of constant decline, for the first time, the global tiger population increased. The report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), a non-governmental organisation working for animal conservation and the Global Tiger Forum pegged the global population of tigers in the wild in 2016 at 3,890. In India, as per the report, the tiger population was pegged at 2,226, which is nearly 60 percent of the total population. For India, the 2016 WWF report had taken into account India’s 2014&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/01/tiger-range-countries-commit-to-course-correction-to-take-forward-conservation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>As e-waste continues to pile up, a greater focus on its management is needed</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/as-e-waste-continues-to-pile-up-a-greater-focus-on-its-management-is-needed/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/as-e-waste-continues-to-pile-up-a-greater-focus-on-its-management-is-needed/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jun 2018 11:04:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vrushal Pendharkar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ewaste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waste]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/06/05233512/51-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=1342</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environmental Law, Law Enforcement, People, Pollution, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The next time you think of buying a new cell phone or television on a whim, you might want to consider the effect it has on the environment and on human health. According to a recent study by researchers from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, the generation of e-waste, in India, is [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The next time you think of buying a new cell phone or television on a whim, you might want to consider the effect it has on the environment and on human health. According to a recent study by researchers from University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, the generation of e-waste, in India, is growing at around 25 percent every year and is projected to increase as more people access electrical appliances and electronics. The study reviews the damage of e-waste to the environment and human health as well as occupational hazards faced by workers segregating electronic waste that has been improperly disposed. According to the study, this is a matter of serious concern as e-waste pollutes the environment and harms human health. Generation of e-waste in India, is growing at around 25 percent every year. Photo by Victorgrigas / Wikimedia Commons. “Improper handling of e-waste exposes both the worker and environment to detrimental effects of toxic substances released during the processing of e-waste,” said Sayed Mohammad Tauseef, a professor at UPES who supervised the study. What is e-waste? Electronic waste or e-waste is used to describe all electrical appliances and electronic devices that are discarded for reuse, recycle or dumped in the bin. E-waste can be classified into three categories: large household appliances, also called as white goods, such as refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners; goods built on information technology and telecommunications, also known as grey goods, such as computers, laptops, mobile phones, printers; and consumer goods, also&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/06/as-e-waste-continues-to-pile-up-a-greater-focus-on-its-management-is-needed/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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					<title>It takes a village to fight off rhino poaching</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/05/it-takes-a-village-to-fight-off-rhino-poaching/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/05/it-takes-a-village-to-fight-off-rhino-poaching/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>28 May 2018 13:23:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Moushumi Basu]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/05/24200731/Wallowing_rhinos_Jaldapara_WLS_AJT_Johnsinhgh-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=1199</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Law Enforcement, National Parks, Poaching, Protected Areas, Rhinos, Villages, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This is the second article in a two-part series on poaching in Jaldapara National Park. In Part One, interviews with former poachers revealed the inner workings of wildlife trafficking in West Bengal state. Poachers killed a rhino in Jaldapara National Park, in West Bengal in February this year, but by March 10 there was some [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[This is the second article in a two-part series on poaching in Jaldapara National Park. In Part One, interviews with former poachers revealed the inner workings of wildlife trafficking in West Bengal state. Poachers killed a rhino in Jaldapara National Park, in West Bengal in February this year, but by March 10 there was some good news for conservationists here. Eight poachers from the surrounding villages surrendered to the forest management, pledging to give up poaching and work instead for rhino and forest conservation. In the presence of at least 150 villagers and senior forest officials, the men laid down their snares, ammunition and homemade weapons. They were poor, mostly illiterate, and came from tribal communities. The oldest among them was 35, the youngest a 14-year-old schoolboy. “They have admitted [to] being involved in various poaching activities in the past: being misled and used by various groups that had tempted them with quick and easy money,” said Sribash Roy, a member of the Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) from Nutanpara village in Jaldapara&#8217;s East Range. These committees, comprising local villagers, work with the forest department to manage the use and protection of woodlands. Roy attributed the change of heart among the former poachers to the opportunity these young men were being given for a way out and a way forward — a process in which the JFMC plays a critical role. The committee will keep the men under observation for a year, monitoring whether they keep their promises to stop&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/05/it-takes-a-village-to-fight-off-rhino-poaching/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>Indus, Brahmaputra and Ganga among the top 10 plastic waste carrying rivers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/01/indus-brahmaputra-and-ganga-among-the-top-10-plastic-waste-carrying-rivers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/01/indus-brahmaputra-and-ganga-among-the-top-10-plastic-waste-carrying-rivers/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jan 2018 10:39:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vrushal Pendharkar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[river]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rivers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water pollution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/01/12095627/1024px-Water_Pollution_Waste_Garbage_Beach-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=334</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bay of Bengal and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Coast, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Law Enforcement, Oceans, Pollution, Rivers, United Nations, Villages, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
											<grant>
							<![CDATA[KFD2017]]>
						</grant>
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Floating polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, plastic bags and even toys have become a part of the marine environment in recent times. Pitiful photographs of such plastic debris washed ashore on remote shorelines have frequently made headlines. Many beaches around the world are rimmed with mounds of plastic waste. Most of this plastic pollution is attributed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Floating polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, plastic bags and even toys have become a part of the marine environment in recent times. Pitiful photographs of such plastic debris washed ashore on remote shorelines have frequently made headlines. Many beaches around the world are rimmed with mounds of plastic waste. Most of this plastic pollution is attributed to an increase in tourism, shipping and fishing activities. But according to a recent study, a considerable portion of plastic garbage afloat in the open waters originates on land, and is drained into the seas by rivers. Christian Schmidt and Stephan Wagner of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany estimate that 57 of world’s rivers ferry between 0.4 and 40 lakh tonnes of plastic waste down to the open oceans every year. Just ten of these rivers are responsible for nearly ninety percent of the plastic debris drained into the oceans. Three flow through India: the Indus, the Ganga and Brahmaputra. The study also finds that a combination of large rivers and huge populations along their banks are together responsible for unusually high amounts of untreated plastic waste going into the oceans. Degrading plastic bags resemble jellyfish, confusing the live critters. Photo by Seegraswiese / Wikimedia Commons. “Any action to reduce plastic in these rivers would be highly effective to reduce the total riverine inputs into the oceans,” says Schmidt, the lead author of the study. Accounting for the oceans’ plastics A previous study had estimated twenty rivers account for two-thirds of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/01/indus-brahmaputra-and-ganga-among-the-top-10-plastic-waste-carrying-rivers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>DNA analysis nails fake tiger claws</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2017/12/dna-analysis-nails-fake-tiger-claws/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2017/12/dna-analysis-nails-fake-tiger-claws/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Dec 2017 12:04:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bhavya Khullar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gene]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tiger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2017/12/13112004/Pic-1-Banner-1-768x481.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=147</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, South Asia, and Telangana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Law Enforcement, Poaching, Tigers, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When enforcement officials from Hyderabad sent 18 samples of what was being sold as tiger claws in the illegal market to experts at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at Dehradun for identification, they did not realise that they were all fake. While 14 could be easily categorised as fake based on physical features, it [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When enforcement officials from Hyderabad sent 18 samples of what was being sold as tiger claws in the illegal market to experts at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at Dehradun for identification, they did not realise that they were all fake. While 14 could be easily categorised as fake based on physical features, it was very difficult to comment on the origin of the remaining four. They used the newly established DNA-analysis based identification, along with the earlier methods, and realised that these were from the domestic cow and not the tiger. The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun has standardised a method to identify real tiger claws from fake ones. This finding is likely to help forest officers in preparing better reports in judicial matters concerning trade in body parts from large cats. With more accurate identification, the prosecution’s case can be stronger in courts, and it will help officials to prevent illegal trade in animal body parts. Tiger claws, like elephant ivory and rhino horns, are commodities whose trade is banned in India but are sold in the international market through the illegal route because they are used in Chinese medicine and for making religious idols and pendants. “People believe that wearing a tiger claw pendant will make them strong and lucky”, remarked S.P. Goyal, nodal officer, Wildlife Forensics Cell and now an emeritus professor at the Wildlife Institute of India. When Goyal’s team got the 18 samples marketed as tiger claws, they resembled real ones closely in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2017/12/dna-analysis-nails-fake-tiger-claws/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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