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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/natural-resources/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>Understanding the true value of forest ecosystem services</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2026 17:08:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/20140801/pexels-shootsaga-35668007-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40331</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change Mitigation, Conservation, Ecosystem services, Environment, Forests, Global Warming, Natural Resources, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Payment for Ecosystem Services, and Rainforests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests provide annual ecosystem services worth $2.5 trillion, highlights a new study published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators. Titled Contribution of forest ecosystem services in India using meta-regression approach, the study reveals that the per-hectare value of ecosystem benefits from India’s forests is about $31,000 per year. Among forest types, tropical dry deciduous forests [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests provide annual ecosystem services worth $2.5 trillion, highlights a new study published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators. Titled Contribution of forest ecosystem services in India using meta-regression approach, the study reveals that the per-hectare value of ecosystem benefits from India’s forests is about $31,000 per year. Among forest types, tropical dry deciduous forests provide the highest economic value at $703 billion, annually. Defined as the direct and indirect benefits that bolster human wellbeing and survival, ecosystem services are further classified into provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. With regard to forests, provisioning services include goods obtained from forest lands, such as timber, food and medicinal plants. Regulating services include carbon sequestration and soil protection, while cultural services include recreational benefits and sacred groves, among others. Supporting services include services such as providing habitats for different species. The authors also examined the economic value of individual services and found that India’s forests provide provisioning, regulating and cultural services worth about $9.64, $12.15 and $17.17 billion, respectively, every year. Supporting services were not analysed in the study. While there is a growing interest in understanding the economic impacts of forest ecosystem services, mainly fuelled by the rise in awareness about the role forests play in climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation, the study highlights the crucial need for incorporating these services into policies and forest conservation measures for better results. “Policymakers increasingly recognise that many of the benefits provided by forests, such as carbon storage, watershed and drought protection, are not&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Genetic study of the Arunachali mithun flags declining breeding population</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/genetic-study-of-the-arunachali-mithun-flags-declining-breeding-population/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/genetic-study-of-the-arunachali-mithun-flags-declining-breeding-population/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Aug 2026 17:58:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Barasha Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/13142643/3.-Male-Nagami-Mithun-PC-Harshit-Kumar-scientist-at-the-ICAR-National-Research-Centre-on-Mithun-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40117</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Himalayas, Mammals, Mountains, Natural Resources, Tribes, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Arunachal Pradesh, conversations in mithun-rearing communities often find their way to the animal. For outsiders, one question almost inevitably follows: &#8220;How many mithuns do you own?&#8221; When John Pei Cander was asked the same question, the enthusiasm with which he had been talking moments earlier suddenly faded. He paused before replying quietly, almost apologetically. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Arunachal Pradesh, conversations in mithun-rearing communities often find their way to the animal. For outsiders, one question almost inevitably follows: &#8220;How many mithuns do you own?&#8221; When John Pei Cander was asked the same question, the enthusiasm with which he had been talking moments earlier suddenly faded. He paused before replying quietly, almost apologetically. &#8220;Now, I have just four,&#8221; he said. &#8220;During my father&#8217;s time, our family had around 30.&#8221; John runs a successful business, owns agricultural land, and has built a concrete two-storied house, drives an SUV. His children are studying in private schools. Yet it was not these achievements that defined his pride. It was the shrinking number of mithuns his family owned. He is not alone. Many with government jobs, thriving farms or successful businesses hesitate before revealing a single-digit number when asked about their mithuns. Their responses carried a sense of shame. Owning fewer mithuns, several people suggested, is not merely an economic reality; it was a loss of status and inheritance. For generations, the mithun (Bos frontalis) has occupied a unique place amongst many Indigenous societies of northeast India. Neither fully domesticated nor truly wild, the semi-free-ranging bovine represents symbols of wealth, prestige and social standing, woven deeply into customary practices and family life. According to the 20th Livestock Census published in 2019, India is home to nearly 384,000 individuals. Arunachal Pradesh supports close to 70% of the country&#8217;s mithun population, making the state&#8217;s breeding practices central to the species&#8217; future. The remaining animals&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/genetic-study-of-the-arunachali-mithun-flags-declining-breeding-population/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<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>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Rethinking irrigation through farm ponds [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/rethinking-irrigation-through-farm-ponds-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/rethinking-irrigation-through-farm-ponds-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jul 2026 11:06:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Partik KumarParul]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[irrigation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/27094551/1_Jamal-scaled-e1785125772499-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39605</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Haryana]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Food, Groundwater, Natural Resources, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the sandy fields of Jamal, a village in the Sirsa district of Haryana, water for irrigation does not arrive through a single source. It is mixed, stored, lifted, diluted, timed, subsidised and improvised. Jamal’s landscape first appears dry and exposed: mustard and wheat fields stretch across a semi-arid plain, field channels cutting through farms, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the sandy fields of Jamal, a village in the Sirsa district of Haryana, water for irrigation does not arrive through a single source. It is mixed, stored, lifted, diluted, timed, subsidised and improvised. Jamal’s landscape first appears dry and exposed: mustard and wheat fields stretch across a semi-arid plain, field channels cutting through farms, sand dunes levelled into cultivable plots, and very few functioning tubewells in the conventional sense. But the most striking feature is the diggi — a pond, often lined and built within the farmland. Mixing canal water and groundwater Canal water has clear agronomic value for a farmer: it is usually fresh, low-cost, and is drawn from Himalayan river flows and monsoon-fed storage. But it has limits. It moves through schedules, rotations, field channels, upstream–downstream hierarchies, tail-end losses and sometimes informal diversion. For farmers, this means canal water is valuable, but rarely fully controllable. It is not “on-demand” irrigation; it is scheduled irrigation. The Green Revolution made these limits sharper. High-yielding crops require water at the right time and in the right amount. This created space for what scholars describe as “atomistic irrigation” which means private wells and pumps that give farmers control, flexibility and timely access. Groundwater offers command. But at times, the groundwater’s quality becomes its biggest limitation. In regions with high groundwater salinity, the water is undesirable for irrigation. Jamal, on the Haryana–Rajasthan border, sits precisely in that type of region. It lies near the tail end of Haryana’s canal system, where canal&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/rethinking-irrigation-through-farm-ponds-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Petition accuses Wildlife Board Committee of rubber-stamping diversions with &#8216;no application of mind’</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/petition-accuses-wildlife-board-committee-of-rubber-stamping-diversions-with-no-application-of-mind/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/petition-accuses-wildlife-board-committee-of-rubber-stamping-diversions-with-no-application-of-mind/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jul 2026 17:01:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/10134024/AP22207426672059-scaled-e1783671210988-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39179</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Politics, Forests, Habitat Loss, Industry, Logging, Natural Resources, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A group of former forest officials, conservationists, and researchers have censured the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and a statutory body under it for approving development projects within protected areas with “scant ecological and scientific evidence” and “no application of mind.” A public interest litigation filed by the group in the Delhi High Court says [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A group of former forest officials, conservationists, and researchers have censured the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and a statutory body under it for approving development projects within protected areas with “scant ecological and scientific evidence” and “no application of mind.” A public interest litigation filed by the group in the Delhi High Court says the Standing Committee under the NBWL approved 97% of projects between 2014 and 2026, indicating a lack of “processual rigour” which led to the diversion of at least 95,724 hectares of forest land. The allegation comes amid a spate of changes made to national environmental norms to favour the “ease of doing business” — a stated goal of the incumbent BJP government. The petitioners include four retired Indian Forest Service officers, led by Prakriti Srivastava as well as eminent conservationists like M.K. Ranjitsinh, who played an instrumental role in drafting the Wildlife Protection Act, India’s primary wildlife protection law. The petition alleges the National Board for Wildlife — chaired by the Prime Minister — and its Standing Committee — chaired by the Union Environment Minister — acted with “total disregard of its (sic) constitutional duties and in violation of the very intent and purpose for which they were statutorily created.” A representative of Bhupender Yadav, Union Environment Minister and chairperson of the NBWL Standing Committee, declined to comment. The National Board for Wildlife was created in 2003 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 to advise central and state governments on issues pertaining to wildlife. These&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/petition-accuses-wildlife-board-committee-of-rubber-stamping-diversions-with-no-application-of-mind/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Scientists test turning aquatic weeds into liquid fertilisers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientists-test-turning-aquatic-weeds-into-liquid-fertilisers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientists-test-turning-aquatic-weeds-into-liquid-fertilisers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jul 2026 11:59:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hirra Azmat]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organic farming]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/07104509/retiredlife-scaled-e1783401379419-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39022</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Himalayas, Lakes, Natural Resources, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Plants, Positive Environmental, Sustainability, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The uncontrolled growth of aquatic plants has become a major environmental challenge in Dal lake, an important freshwater lake in the Kashmir Himalaya. A new study has tested a way to convert these excess plants into fermented liquid fertilisers, offering a potential solution to manage weed overgrowth while producing a useful agricultural input. Dal, a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The uncontrolled growth of aquatic plants has become a major environmental challenge in Dal lake, an important freshwater lake in the Kashmir Himalaya. A new study has tested a way to convert these excess plants into fermented liquid fertilisers, offering a potential solution to manage weed overgrowth while producing a useful agricultural input. Dal, a culturally and ecologically important lake in Kashmir, has been showing visible symptoms of eutrophication, with runoff from surrounding areas, untreated sewage, and other pollutants adding excess nutrients to the lake and leading to the rapid growth of aquatic plants. While aquatic vegetation can be useful as food, medicine, and fodder, overgrowth disrupts water quality, alters ecohydrology, and threatens native biodiversity. “While the overgrowth of aquatic plants and algae blooms follows a seasonal cycle, the underlying decline in water quality is palpable year-round. We’ve seen the lake struggle under the weight of these excess nutrients, which is exactly why we are focused on repurposing that biomass into something useful for our land,” Kowsar Majid, one of the study authors and a professor in the department of chemistry at National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, told Mongabay-India. The study was published in ACS Sustainable Resource Management journal in March 2026. The findings are a proof of concept, with further studies needed to assess costs, large-scale feasibility and regulatory approval before the approach can be adopted widely. Majid explains that most previous work on Dal lake biomass has focused on solid soil amendments such as compost, vermicompost or hydrochar.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientists-test-turning-aquatic-weeds-into-liquid-fertilisers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Study finds urban nature-based solutions overlook biodiversity</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-finds-urban-nature-based-solutions-overlook-biodiversity/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-finds-urban-nature-based-solutions-overlook-biodiversity/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Mar 2026 13:56:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aisiri Amin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban lakes]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/02121059/3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37089</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Natural Resources, and Nature-based Climate Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the world looks for long-lasting solutions to environmental challenges, nature-based solutions (NbS) are often presented as a promising pathway. A new study assessing the benefits to biodiversity from NbS in urban areas of the Global South aims to better understand how effectively these interventions address urban challenges. The study, published in Ecological Indicators, found [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the world looks for long-lasting solutions to environmental challenges, nature-based solutions (NbS) are often presented as a promising pathway. A new study assessing the benefits to biodiversity from NbS in urban areas of the Global South aims to better understand how effectively these interventions address urban challenges. The study, published in Ecological Indicators, found that biodiversity is rarely the primary focus of NbS projects in urban areas. The researchers from the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) and the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) explain in the paper that most projects prioritised societal benefits, such as flood control or heat reduction, over climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Ambiguity around nature-based solutions According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), nature-based solutions (NbS) are “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems” while addressing societal challenges, to deliver human well-being and biodiversity benefits. The term is relatively recent and Western in origin. “The government of India prefers the term ‘ecosystem-based adaptation’, a subset of NbS that engages directly with climate-related challenges,” says corresponding author Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Dean at the School of Environment and Sustainability at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements. Because the term NbS is not widely used in India, many initiatives go underreported, particularly in global research, he adds. Yet interest is growing, especially in urban adaptation and resilience, notes Aarathi Kumar of WRI India. Indian examples exist even if not labelled specifically as NbS, including multifunctional wetlands&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-finds-urban-nature-based-solutions-overlook-biodiversity/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/study-finds-urban-nature-based-solutions-overlook-biodiversity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Does the dry bed of the Aral Sea reflect India’s water future? [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-dry-bed-of-the-aral-sea-reflects-indias-water-future-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-dry-bed-of-the-aral-sea-reflects-indias-water-future-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jan 2026 11:12:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tisha Srivastav]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ecological droughts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sea]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/12101625/Moynaq_Aral_Sea_6226842732-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36425</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Drought, Ecology, Environment, Fish, Lakes, Natural Resources, Rivers, Water, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[My feet crunch an uneven, dusty saltiness, as I stare at a slanting row of ghosts. Of boats. Like some clothes after their first wash, each of these seem to have shrunk in size and shape. One, no more than a heap of rust. The other, with scrap metal joints clanging in a windiness that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[My feet crunch an uneven, dusty saltiness, as I stare at a slanting row of ghosts. Of boats. Like some clothes after their first wash, each of these seem to have shrunk in size and shape. One, no more than a heap of rust. The other, with scrap metal joints clanging in a windiness that slap-welcomes you into sensing. You are now in the thick of a desert. Another has so many holes, it looks like an indecisive XXL submarine periscope. Zero-buoyancy remains, of where the Aral Sea once used to moisten the floor. This expanse where the boats seem to have amnesia is where the once fourth largest lake in the world, the size of Sri Lanka, went into nature’s ICU, in the second half of the 20th century. Shrink, sputter, disappear. The southern Aral Sea, by Moynaq town, in what is now the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan, which is where I am standing, never recovered. For several epochs before ours though, the Syr and Amu Darya rivers as a combo, kept the water level high here. Guided tours to the State museum of history and culture back in Nukus, the capital city of this region, apparently used to start with the high bird count, once found all over the Aral Sea. Archaeological records also confirm the provenance of the people of Karakalpakstan’s Moynaq township: a nomadic East Asian gene base, always somehow being able to fish. Small clans, who were able to live across vast spreads&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-dry-bed-of-the-aral-sea-reflects-indias-water-future-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-dry-bed-of-the-aral-sea-reflects-indias-water-future-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Biosphere reserves are pockets of hope for a changing planet [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/biosphere-reserves-are-pockets-of-hope-for-a-changing-planet-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/biosphere-reserves-are-pockets-of-hope-for-a-changing-planet-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jan 2026 13:32:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Benno BöerNeha MidhaSrishti Kumar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biosphere reserves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable development]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/02114559/Pin_Valley_Spiti_Himachal_Jun18_D72_7092-e1767334578993-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36325</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biosphere reserves, Climate Change, Ecology, Industry, Natural Resources, United Nations, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The world is facing a Triple Planetary Crisis, where climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss converge. Around the world and especially in India and other South Asian countries, the pressures of unbridled resource extraction and rapid population growth have pushed ecosystems to their limits. In a situation like this, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves stand as rare [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The world is facing a Triple Planetary Crisis, where climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss converge. Around the world and especially in India and other South Asian countries, the pressures of unbridled resource extraction and rapid population growth have pushed ecosystems to their limits. In a situation like this, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves stand as rare “pockets of hope”. These designated protected ecosystems, whether terrestrial, marine or coastal, are living landscapes that prove it is still possible to protect nature while supporting human wellbeing. In these reserves, sustainability is a scientific challenge as well as a cultural, ethical, and community-driven way of life. Every UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is shaped by the people who live within and around it. The forests, rivers, coastlines, and farmlands are not abstract conservation zones. These ecosystems are their homes, livelihood and identity. They are where memories reside. When these communities participate meaningfully in decision-making, and their rights and knowledge are respected, conservation stops being a top-down imposition and becomes a shared responsibility. Empowering communities is essential in South Asia where millions depend directly on natural ecosystems for survival. A well-informed, aware, and motivated community is the strongest force for conservation, and the primary agent that transforms a reserve from protected land into a living “pocket of hope”. The authors emphasise on the importance of ethical, science-based journalism, sharing the example of reporting on dugongs from the southeastern coast in the late 2010s, which helped shift public awareness and foster scientific collaboration stronger coastal protections. Image by&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/biosphere-reserves-are-pockets-of-hope-for-a-changing-planet-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Forest ecology cannot be reduced to arithmetic, says M.I. Varghese [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/forest-ecology-cannot-be-reduced-to-arithmetic-says-m-i-varghese-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/forest-ecology-cannot-be-reduced-to-arithmetic-says-m-i-varghese-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Dec 2025 14:42:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[K.A. Shaji]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural resource management]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/15134129/varghese-e1765787109633-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36059</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Forests, Natural Resources, Protected Areas, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From the Himalayas to the Western Ghats, India’s forest and wildlife protection laws that prevented forest diversion, have been relaxed over the years for roads, mines, hydropower, defence infrastructure, and industrial corridors. Highways now run through elephant corridors and mining trucks move across tiger habitats. Encroachment by private lobbies, resort groups, and plantation operators, is [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From the Himalayas to the Western Ghats, India’s forest and wildlife protection laws that prevented forest diversion, have been relaxed over the years for roads, mines, hydropower, defence infrastructure, and industrial corridors. Highways now run through elephant corridors and mining trucks move across tiger habitats. Encroachment by private lobbies, resort groups, and plantation operators, is often protected by political influence. This scenario is commonly seen in the south Indian coastal state of Kerala. The state has introduced amendments to the Kerala Forest Act, 1961, and the Kerala Private Forests (Vesting and Assignment) Act, 1971. While officials say these amendments are meant to curb encroachment and protect farmers, environmentalists warn they may primarily assist powerful landholding interests seeking to legalise occupation in forest regions. The Kerala Legislative Assembly has also passed the Kerala Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2025, awaiting presidential assent. The Bill devolves powers to district collectors and junior forest officers to authorise lethal action during human-wildlife conflict. Conservationists fear this could normalise killing, undermine scientific wildlife management, and violate constitutional and international biodiversity commitments. To understand these legislative shifts, Mongabay-India spoke to M.I. Varghese, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, legal scholar, and author of A Treatise on Forest Laws in Kerala. Varghese served across forest divisions in Kerala and spent decades interpreting environmental law. He reflects on the erosion of legal safeguards and the dangers ahead. Varghese reminds us that forests cannot speak for themselves and that the law must be their voice. If that voice grows faint,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/forest-ecology-cannot-be-reduced-to-arithmetic-says-m-i-varghese-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Book review] A reality check on efforts to decentralise natural resource governance</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/a-reality-check-on-efforts-to-decentralise-natural-resource-governance/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/a-reality-check-on-efforts-to-decentralise-natural-resource-governance/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jan 2025 14:31:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[73rd amendment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[74th amendment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coastal commons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coastal Regulation Zone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[commons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental impact assessment (EIA)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest commons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural resource management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PESA]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/10142605/ABC8380_copy-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31020</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Floods, Food, and Natural Resources]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In December 2018, I travelled to Balad Kalan and nearby villages in Punjab’s Sangrur district. The fog shrouding the rural landscape was a refreshing contrast to the concrete jungle of Delhi NCR, where I live. The journey became even more intriguing as I was about to meet an activist who, according to police records, was [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In December 2018, I travelled to Balad Kalan and nearby villages in Punjab’s Sangrur district. The fog shrouding the rural landscape was a refreshing contrast to the concrete jungle of Delhi NCR, where I live. The journey became even more intriguing as I was about to meet an activist who, according to police records, was absconding. After navigating a network of intermediaries, a man in his early thirties appeared at a house around 8 PM while we were enjoying dinner with the host family. He was one of the key players in the ongoing conflict over gaining control of reserved common land for marginalised communities. We had a profound conversation about the politics surrounding natural resources. The piece that emerged from this journey focused on the positive change in people’s lives after gaining access to land and the uprising of a marginalised community. The struggle, however, had already claimed lives. Years later, the memory of those villages resurfaced as I read Environmental Politics at the Locals: Natural Resource Governance in India. The book includes a chapter that mentions these villages and highlights the politics around common land in the region. Although I had travelled and written about the conflict, the book provided a new perspective on my experience of those villages and the conflict. Published by Orient BlackSwan, the book is a compilation of nine research-based articles throwing light on ground-level realities from different regions of India. These chapters cover a range of subjects, including resistance to hydropower projects in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/a-reality-check-on-efforts-to-decentralise-natural-resource-governance/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Innovative air-to-water tech using liquid desiccant makes affordable, renewable water</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/innovative-air-to-water-tech-using-liquid-desiccant-makes-affordable-renewable-water/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/innovative-air-to-water-tech-using-liquid-desiccant-makes-affordable-renewable-water/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Aug 2024 16:22:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[atmospheric water generator]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renewable water source]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urvau]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/08/13105116/ANC_09-scaled-e1723527653192-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28980</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Innovations]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Karnataka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Groundwater, Natural Resources, Technology, Technology and Conservation, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Mega Indian cities like Bengaluru have been staring at the looming threat of a potential Day Zero for some time now. The mismanagement of water resources in the city is so severe that lakes and tanks — historical structures once essential for meeting the city&#8217;s water needs — are now polluted and frothing with toxic [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Mega Indian cities like Bengaluru have been staring at the looming threat of a potential Day Zero for some time now. The mismanagement of water resources in the city is so severe that lakes and tanks — historical structures once essential for meeting the city&#8217;s water needs — are now polluted and frothing with toxic waste. Meanwhile, groundwater resources are depleting at an alarming rate. The situation is further compounded by the climate emergency. Scientist T.V. Ramachandra, coordinator of the Energy and Wetlands Research Group at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), explains that the city’s water scarcity is due to “a depleting groundwater table and lower yield in the (river) Cauvery catchment.” He adds, “The climate emergency is aggravated by the loss of native species and forest cover resulting from deforestation.” Bengaluru is not alone in this predicament. Other cities around the world, such as Cape Town in South Africa, Mexico City, and Istanbul in Turkey, are also grappling with severe water stress. Atmospheric water gets bottled at Uravu Labs in Bengaluru. The innovative atmospheric water generator uses a liquid desiccant to absorb moisture from air. Image by Abhishek N. Chinnappa for Mongabay. According to the 2018 Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) report released by NITI Aayog, 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress and about two lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water. The report predicts worsening of the crisis and by 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/08/innovative-air-to-water-tech-using-liquid-desiccant-makes-affordable-renewable-water/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Konkan Railways impacted agricultural lands more than forest cover, finds study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/konkan-railways-impacted-agricultural-lands-more-than-forest-cover-finds-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/konkan-railways-impacted-agricultural-lands-more-than-forest-cover-finds-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Jan 2024 15:45:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental impact]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest land]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[railways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transport]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/01/06171057/1200px-Konkan_Express-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=25850</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Karnataka, and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Forests, and Natural Resources]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new study evaluating the impacts of the 740-kilometre long Konkan Railway line has thrown up some surprising results related to the impact on forests. Launched in 1993, the railway line&#8217;s route was contentious because it cut through wetlands, forest and other environmentally sensitive areas. But according to the study, forest cover has remained relatively [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new study evaluating the impacts of the 740-kilometre long Konkan Railway line has thrown up some surprising results related to the impact on forests. Launched in 1993, the railway line&#8217;s route was contentious because it cut through wetlands, forest and other environmentally sensitive areas. But according to the study, forest cover has remained relatively unchanged in the decades since the line came up. Forest cover is a narrow indicator of an ecosystem’s health. However, the study is among the first to look at the long-term land use change resulting from the entire breadth of the Konkan Railway, including changes to forest cover. “One of the major motivations to conduct this study was to look how the railway line changed the economy and land use cover in the vicinity of the project. Some reports have said developmental activity in the Western Ghats can disturb the ecology of the region, but at the same time, there’s an urgent need for sustainable development,” Aniket Navalkar, a researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and lead author of the study, told Mongabay-India. “Our study offers insights into how land use is affected by linear transport infrastructure like railway over a time-period, and how environmental measures can help compensate for initial losses in forest cover.” The Konkan Railway stretches across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. In 1992, the Goa Foundation, an environmental advocacy group, petitioned against the railway line’s alignment through Goa, arguing it would destroy the state’s unique khazan lands – a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/konkan-railways-impacted-agricultural-lands-more-than-forest-cover-finds-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>How animals negotiate shared resources in the wild</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/08/how-animals-negotiate-shared-resources-in-the-wild/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/08/how-animals-negotiate-shared-resources-in-the-wild/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Aug 2023 17:02:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[partitioning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[share]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/08/23144954/DSC0148-4-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=24168</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Cats, Conservation, Natural Resources, Tigers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Bengaluru-based photographers Harsha Narasimhamurthy and Karthik Mohan Iyer were following two tigers, Noor and T101, near Tutikenaale in Ranthambore in March 2023 when they had an extremely rare sighting of T101 feeding on a leopard kill. Predation between charismatic large felines in the wild is hardly a safari sight. The footage of the incident that [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[Bengaluru-based photographers Harsha Narasimhamurthy and Karthik Mohan Iyer were following two tigers, Noor and T101, near Tutikenaale in Ranthambore in March 2023 when they had an extremely rare sighting of T101 feeding on a leopard kill. Predation between charismatic large felines in the wild is hardly a safari sight. The footage of the incident that went viral on social media displays a phenomenon that has fascinated ecologists for a long time. Intraguild interactions are certain behaviours like competition and predation that are observed among species that share a common resource. These interactions are not only observed in carnivores like wild cats or dogs, but any species that could be competing or modifying their adaptive behaviours for a resource that is shared between them like food or habitat. These interactions influence everything from species persistence to ecosystem functioning. Tiger T101 with a leopard kill in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. A study reveals that protected areas that are better maintained can support competing carnivores in high densities. Photo by Karthik Mohan Iyer. What do intraguild interactions look like? Arjun Srivathsa of National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR) who has been studying these interactions says that competition is a common intraguild interaction in the wild. It manifests in multiple forms. It could be intimidation (where one chases the other away), kleptoparasitism (where one chases the other away and makes away with the kill) or predation (where one eliminates the other). Members of one species could also opt for indirect competition (where they&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/08/how-animals-negotiate-shared-resources-in-the-wild/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Kerala’s dwindling mangroves need concerted effort in conservation</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/keralas-dwindling-mangroves-need-concerted-effort-in-conservation/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/keralas-dwindling-mangroves-need-concerted-effort-in-conservation/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Jul 2023 11:37:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/07/18092559/mangroves-Valapattanam-kannur-prasoon-kiran-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=23679</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Conservation, Mangroves, Natural Resources, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Trees, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When 1000 kilometres of mangrove tidal wetland vegetation, along the shoreline of Australia’s remote Gulf of Carpentaria, died en masse in a short span of time between late 2015 and early 2016, it caug​​ht the global scientific community by surprise. While the actual causes were unknown, it was noticeable that it coincided with an extreme [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[When 1000 kilometres of mangrove tidal wetland vegetation, along the shoreline of Australia’s remote Gulf of Carpentaria, died en masse in a short span of time between late 2015 and early 2016, it caug​​ht the global scientific community by surprise. While the actual causes were unknown, it was noticeable that it coincided with an extreme weather event—drought. &#8220;You don&#8217;t expect mass mortality in a wetland species due to drought,&#8221; said principal scientist, Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Sreejith Ashtamoorthy. Intrigued by this phenomenon, he set out to understand climate resilience of mangrove species in Kerala. One property stood out in six true mangrove species in the study area of Kollam district in Kerala — foliar water uptake, a mechanism that allows plants to acquire water from the atmosphere through their leaves. Climate change Sreejith, along with scientists from the Ghent University, Belgium who were involved in the study, said that considering the probability of frequent droughts in the future due to climate change, the salinity of the water could alter which could affect the mangroves’ ability to take up water. This, in turn, could adversely impact their productivity. The scientists hypothesise that the foliar water uptake feature may help mangrove species tide over extreme climate variations. The study revealed that the foliar water uptake capacity differed between species and that the salt-excreting species showed a higher capacity for it than the non-excreting ones. A salt-excreting species, Avicennia marina showed a distinct leaf anatomical trait, trichomes—not observed in the other species—which&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/07/keralas-dwindling-mangroves-need-concerted-effort-in-conservation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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