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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>The insect that syncs up with the football World Cup</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-insect-that-syncs-up-with-the-football-world-cup/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-insect-that-syncs-up-with-the-football-world-cup/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Jul 2026 14:12:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cicada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[insects]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/14110800/World-Cup-cicada-insect_-scaled-e1784008437972-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39269</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and Meghalaya]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Elephants, Forests, Insects, Plants, Reserved Forest, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the football world cup began in the United States, Canada and Mexico this year, in one part of India, an insect emerged, as it does, every four years, in sync with the sporting event. However, this year, it was found beyond its typical home range. Aptly named the World Cup cicada, the insect, Chremistica [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the football world cup began in the United States, Canada and Mexico this year, in one part of India, an insect emerged, as it does, every four years, in sync with the sporting event. However, this year, it was found beyond its typical home range. Aptly named the World Cup cicada, the insect, Chremistica ribhoi, has been recorded in Meghalaya in Northeast India. This year though it was spotted in the neighbouring state of Assam during a field assessment around the Rani Reserve Forest conducted by wildlife biologist Pulakeswar Basumatary, with Langtuk Terang, Assistant Professor, Pragjyotish College, Mann Kumar Thapa, a research scholar at Royal Global University, M.Sc. student Lakhinandan Dutta and butterfly researcher Rajat Joshi. Basumatary told Mongabay-India, “Until now, Chremistica ribhoi was known only from Saiden village and Lailad, near Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district. The 2026 sighting across the Rani-Garbhanga-Basistha Reserve Forest is the first record of the species in Assam, and a real extension of its known range.” However, while it has been scientifically recorded now, the local communities always knew of the cicada in Assam. “The Rabha community of Satargaon, in the Rani area (of Assam), say they had been seeing this cicada before the year 2000. That&#8217;s earlier than the first scientific record from Meghalaya. The species was almost certainly always here, just undocumented,” said Basumatary. Periodical cicadas are among nature’s most precise timekeepers. Their mass emergence is triggered largely by soil temperature and humidity cues built up over years underground.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-insect-that-syncs-up-with-the-football-world-cup/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Legal ambiguity hinders rewilding efforts in India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/legal-ambiguity-hinders-rewilding-efforts-in-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/legal-ambiguity-hinders-rewilding-efforts-in-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Nov 2025 14:57:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rewilding]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/27123456/DJI_0033-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35797</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Environmental Law, Forests, Positive Environmental, Protected Areas, Reforestation, and Reserved Forest]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Bopanna Pattada has left two acres of land amidst his 60-acre coffee plantation in the Kodagu district of Karnataka to grow wild for small mammals and birds to feed, rest, nest and colonise. A four-acre paddy field abutting the plantation in Ammathi village in Virajpet taluk has also been left fallow, attracting an equal number [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Bopanna Pattada has left two acres of land amidst his 60-acre coffee plantation in the Kodagu district of Karnataka to grow wild for small mammals and birds to feed, rest, nest and colonise. A four-acre paddy field abutting the plantation in Ammathi village in Virajpet taluk has also been left fallow, attracting an equal number of birds and animals, including elephants. “In the rewilded area, animals such as civet cats, mouse deer and small-clawed otters have been spotted. The paddy field, being on the boundary of the estate, sees more elephant activity,” Bopanna informs Mongabay-India. Even when reports of negative interactions with elephants and other wild animals claim considerable news space in Kodagu, Bopanna sees no threat in allowing elephants into his plantation. “Elephants have always used this plantation, and my family has chosen to not disturb them. So far, there have been no human casualties. Earlier, only a single herd visited the land, but now there are three herds, including one with 14 members.” According to him, the elephants are familiar with the area but are often chased from one place to another. “It is then that most damage to the plantation occurs.” He envisions his estate remaining a safe haven for all animals that visit it. India is witnessing an uptick in rewilding by private landowners who see biodiversity gains in allowing patches of wilderness to flourish within their landholdings. This trend is in direct concurrence with the United Nations’ call for ecosystem restoration through the UN Decade&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/legal-ambiguity-hinders-rewilding-efforts-in-india/" 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 restores 1996 definition of forests in recent interim order</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/supreme-court-restores-1996-definition-of-forests-in-recent-interim-order/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/supreme-court-restores-1996-definition-of-forests-in-recent-interim-order/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Feb 2024 15:37:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/02/27131304/pexels-go-green-kerala-holidays-18827175-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26680</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree and The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Law, Forest Rights Act, Forests, and Reserved Forest]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Supreme Court, on February 19, directed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to revert to an older definition of forests whose protections were more “broad and all-encompassing”, as opposed to the more narrow definition in the amended Forest (Conservation) Act. The directions were made in an interim order as part [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Supreme Court, on February 19, directed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to revert to an older definition of forests whose protections were more “broad and all-encompassing”, as opposed to the more narrow definition in the amended Forest (Conservation) Act. The directions were made in an interim order as part of an ongoing case challenging the government’s amendments. A final verdict in the case will be made in July. The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 was passed to limit infrastructure development activities on forest land, but it was amended in 2023 to reduce the scope of its applicability. The amendments to the Act, now called the Van (Sanrakashan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, limit legal protections to only those forests which are notified in the Indian Forest Act of 1927 and which find mention in government records. This opens up vast tracts of unrecorded forest land to other uses without any protections or compensatory mechanisms. According to the 2021 Forest Survey of India, 28% of India’s forests are unrecorded. A Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, has now directed the government to comply with the definition in the landmark 1996 Godavarman judgment, in which it said that apart from those notified and found in government records, all forests resembling “dictionary meaning” would be entitled to protections under the Forest (Conservation) Act, irrespective of ownership and status. It was decided in the 1996 order that state governments would set up expert committees and conduct&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/supreme-court-restores-1996-definition-of-forests-in-recent-interim-order/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Wildlife in Tillari valley at risk from land-use change</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/commentary-wildlife-in-tillari-valley-at-risk-from-land-use-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/commentary-wildlife-in-tillari-valley-at-risk-from-land-use-change/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 May 2021 12:57:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Narendra Patil]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/05/31105802/gaur-india-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14342</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Connected Environments]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Karnataka, and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Dams, Deforestation, Environment, Forests, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, People, Plantations, Reserved Forest, Rivers, Villages, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[River Tillari originates at an altitude of 750 metres (2461 feet) on the gently west-tilted flatland at the Karnataka-Maharashtra border. It is dammed on the plateau and the water is diverted towards Kharari Nalla where it drops by ~600 m (1969 feet) to generate electricity and is then distributed for irrigation through the right bank [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[River Tillari originates at an altitude of 750 metres (2461 feet) on the gently west-tilted flatland at the Karnataka-Maharashtra border. It is dammed on the plateau and the water is diverted towards Kharari Nalla where it drops by ~600 m (1969 feet) to generate electricity and is then distributed for irrigation through the right bank canal. A second project on the original course of Tillari river has a saddle dam at 100 m (328 feet) elevation that diverts the flow towards Konal-Katta Nalla where it is dammed to generate power and distribute water through the left bank canal. A team comprising of two forest department staff, conservation biologist Girish Punjabi from Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), and his junior colleague Amit Sutar had started from the saddle dam in a boat. The engine’s frantic thumps wavered in the wind and were lost on the 16.25 square kilometres (6.27 square miles) expanse of the dammed waters. The 462.17 Mcum (16.32 TMC) mass of water in the valley had submerged large tracts of forest and displaced people from seven villages in 2002. The boatman and his companion, both from villages submerged by the dam, were ferrying the team into Tillari valley to set up camera traps for tigers. The Forest Department of Maharashtra has been monitoring tigers in this area since 2014, and Punjabi collaborates with them. Tiger tracks in Tillari River valley. Photo by Narendra Patil. Wildlife naturally repopulating Tillari area Sutar had lived in Patye, Maharashtra, before his family was relocated&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/commentary-wildlife-in-tillari-valley-at-risk-from-land-use-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>India’s forest cover is rising but northeast and tribal areas lose</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/indias-forest-cover-is-rising-but-northeast-and-tribals-lose/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/indias-forest-cover-is-rising-but-northeast-and-tribals-lose/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jan 2020 13:18:56 +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/30/2020/01/03101122/Banner-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8116</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Conservation, Deforestation, Forest Fires, Forests, Plantations, Reserved Forest, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nearly 25 percent (one fourth) of India’s total land area is now under forest and tree cover. However, there is still a long way to go &#8211; more than a decade, admits the government &#8211; before India reaches its target of having 33 percent of its total area under forest and tree cover. The latest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nearly 25 percent (one fourth) of India’s total land area is now under forest and tree cover. However, there is still a long way to go &#8211; more than a decade, admits the government &#8211; before India reaches its target of having 33 percent of its total area under forest and tree cover. The latest ‘India State of Forest Report (ISFR 2019) released by the country’s environment minister Prakash Javadekar on December 30, 2019, revealed that the total forest and tree cover of the country is 807,276 square kilometres (which is 24.56 percent of the geographical area of the country) compared to 802,088 sq km (24.39 percent) in ISFR 2017.  The report marked an increase of 5,188 sq. km. of forest and tree cover combined, at the national level, as compared to the previous assessment. When the last assessment, ISFR 2017, was released, an increase of 8,021 sq. km. was recorded compared to the data in ISFR 2015. While the overall forest and tree cover marked an increase on a national level, the report highlighted a decrease in the forest area in the country’s northeast region. This decline in forest area in the northeast has been an ongoing trend with the region witnessing a loss of about 3,199 sq. km. of forest area sine 2009. ISFR 2019 is a biennial report published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) and is the 16th such report published. The calculations are largely based on satellite data. It includes information on forest cover, tree&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/indias-forest-cover-is-rising-but-northeast-and-tribals-lose/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>She guards Mumbai’s defence against climate change</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/she-guards-mumbais-defence-against-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/she-guards-mumbais-defence-against-climate-change/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Jul 2019 11:36:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/06/26195039/Seema_banner-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=5779</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Coast, Coastal erosion, Forestry, Forests, Mangroves, Plants, and Reserved Forest]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Fifty-six-year-old Seema Adgaonkar glides through swampy mangroves in ankle-deep muck. The fragrance of Avicennia marina (the grey mangrove), the most widely-spread mangrove species in Mumbai, makes the trail pleasant despite the 36 degree Celsius hot and humid conditions. Adgaonkar relishes the scent as she walks in a single file with a forest guard and two [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Fifty-six-year-old Seema Adgaonkar glides through swampy mangroves in ankle-deep muck. The fragrance of Avicennia marina (the grey mangrove), the most widely-spread mangrove species in Mumbai, makes the trail pleasant despite the 36 degree Celsius hot and humid conditions. Adgaonkar relishes the scent as she walks in a single file with a forest guard and two helpers, towards one of the mangrove nurseries they set up on the city’s coastline. She gives the team instructions on where to plant saplings along the course and shares tips to identify some of the species with their regional and scientific names. “You’ve to know everything that is associated with your job to do it well,” said Adgaonkar, about her erstwhile role as a Range Forest Officer (RFO), which included mangrove plantation and guarding the ecosystem that borders Mumbai. In some parts of the city’s tangled mangroves, she and her team members carry ropes and hooks to pull themselves to safety. They have also learned from crab catchers the technique of using a wooden plank to wade through the dark muck in mangroves and mudflats. Adgaonkar can navigate boats, big and small, through the creeks and estuaries of the coastal city. Until recently, she was one of the four range forest officers at the Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit (MMCU), a 36-member body, solely dedicated to protecting the city’s mangrove forests. With a recent promotion, Adgaonkar is on to using her skills and experience to train the next generation of guardians of Maharashtra&#8217;s forests. The MMCU&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/she-guards-mumbais-defence-against-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
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					<title>With Puri’s green shelterbelt destroyed, human-animal conflicts could increase</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/with-puris-green-shelterbelt-destroyed-human-animal-conflicts-could-increase/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/with-puris-green-shelterbelt-destroyed-human-animal-conflicts-could-increase/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jul 2019 11:45:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Thakur Nanda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/07/14185434/Damaged-shelter-belt-on-Puri-Konark-Marine-Drive-e1563257911439-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=6000</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Flood and drought]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Odisha]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Deforestation, People, Reserved Forest, and Salinisation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[At 60, Bairagi Patra does not need a book or a white paper to understand the value of the environment. Patra, a marginal farmer and daily wage earner, who lives near the Balukhanda reserve forest in Odisha’s Puri district, is scared. The after effects of Cyclone Fani, which destroyed the district and the forest in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[At 60, Bairagi Patra does not need a book or a white paper to understand the value of the environment. Patra, a marginal farmer and daily wage earner, who lives near the Balukhanda reserve forest in Odisha’s Puri district, is scared. The after effects of Cyclone Fani, which destroyed the district and the forest in the region, are now impacting his daily life. With the green shelter belt gone, the houses in the area where he resides have been, in the last two months, getting warmer. Life has also been affected by the constant sea winds and regular conflict with wild animals. And once the monsoon sets in, the situation, they believe, will become even worse. “The cyclone took away many of our belongings. Our homes, cows, goats, crops and trees have all gone. It will take us years to get back to a normal life. I have seen cyclones in the past, but this one ravaged the barrier of trees and shrubs that provided us protection from the wind and storm, and now I am scared for more reasons than one,” said Patra in his native Odia language. He wore a dull, peach coloured gamchha (thin cotton towel) and a gray lungi reflecting his foggy state-of-mind. Standing in his backyard, which is now nothing but a heap of broken trees, branches and trash, Patra pointed to the destroyed Balukhanda forest that had worked as a shield between human habitation and the Bay of Bengal. Bairagi Patra in his backyard.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/with-puris-green-shelterbelt-destroyed-human-animal-conflicts-could-increase/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>With forest rights in focus ahead of elections, proposed changes to Forest Act draw attention</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/with-forest-rights-in-focus-ahead-of-elections-proposed-changes-to-forest-act-draw-attention/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/with-forest-rights-in-focus-ahead-of-elections-proposed-changes-to-forest-act-draw-attention/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Mar 2019 11:54:09 +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/30/2019/03/27025550/Banner-9-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=4610</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Elections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Forest Carbon, Forest Fires, Forest Rights Act, Forestry, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Reforestation, and Reserved Forest]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Over 90 years after the enactment of the Indian Forest Act (IFA) 1927, a proposed amendment now plans to give more powers to the forest authorities, encourages large scale afforestation for carbon sequestration and enhances penalties for stronger protection of the forests. However, this amendment could also lead to an increase in injustice to forest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Over 90 years after the enactment of the Indian Forest Act (IFA) 1927, a proposed amendment now plans to give more powers to the forest authorities, encourages large scale afforestation for carbon sequestration and enhances penalties for stronger protection of the forests. However, this amendment could also lead to an increase in injustice to forest dwellers. Environmentalists, experts and organisations working on issues related to the rights of forest dwellers are already up in arms and plan to protest against the controversial amendment at all forums before the amendments are finalised. They also plan to go to court if the amendment is passed without addressing their concerns. The issue could gain significance in India’s parliamentary elections scheduled for April-May 2019 as political parties are trying to attract the voters who are dependent on forests and of the tribal communities. Read more: Political parties compete for vote of India’s tribal community On March 7, 2019, the central government’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) sent the draft of the proposed amendment to the IFA 1927, to all the states. It asked the state governments to hold state level consultations with all stakeholders including NGOs and civil society organisations on the proposed amendment within 90 days and send a consolidated reply based on the feedback and consultations. This time period of 90 days overlaps with the timing of the national elections which indicates that the proposed amendments in the IFA 1927 would be finalised by the government formed after the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/with-forest-rights-in-focus-ahead-of-elections-proposed-changes-to-forest-act-draw-attention/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Private sector to re-green India’s wastelands?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/12/private-sector-to-re-green-indias-wasteland/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/12/private-sector-to-re-green-indias-wasteland/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Dec 2018 10:53:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plantations]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/12/05231346/Banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=3381</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Forests, Non-Timber Forest Produce, People, Reserved Forest, and Timber]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[What is the best strategy for increasing green cover outside recorded forest areas? Leasing of wasteland to the corporate sector for re-greening is among the major recommendations that a report by an expert committee formed by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has suggested. The committee has also recommended “evolving business models [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[What is the best strategy for increasing green cover outside recorded forest areas? Leasing of wasteland to the corporate sector for re-greening is among the major recommendations that a report by an expert committee formed by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has suggested. The committee has also recommended “evolving business models for tree cultivation” supported by “rationalised policy and regulatory regime, including those of felling and transit, insurance”, issuance of green bonds, development of appropriate public-private partnership (PPP) models involving the private sector and forest corporations. It also called for an amendment of the Indian Forest Act 1927 for “revisiting the definition of forest produce” and “issuance of a pan-India transit pass for agroforestry produce”. India aims to increase the contribution of TOF (trees outside forests) in meeting the goal of having 33 percent of India’s geographical area under the forest and tree cover (FTC), achieve the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC, also referred as NDC) targets of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030 and improve the farmers’ income and reduce the trade deficit in wood. To address such issues, the MoEFCC in January 2018 formed an expert committee to suggest ways to increase green cover outside forests. The report of the committee led by Abhijit Ghose, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, was recently made public by the MoEFCC. It observed that “most of the experts agree that achievement&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/12/private-sector-to-re-green-indias-wasteland/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>Women forest guides pave new paths in Chhattisgarh</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/09/women-forest-guides-pave-new-paths-in-chhattisgarh/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/09/women-forest-guides-pave-new-paths-in-chhattisgarh/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Sep 2018 14:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Raghuraj J. Singh Garcha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/09/25112948/HeaderForest-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=2573</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Chhattisgarh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Forests, People, Protected Areas, Reserved Forest, and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“We know this jungle like the back of our hands. We have grown up with wild animals around us and already know the basic behavioural limitations,” said 19-year-old Parmeshwari, appointed as one of the first women forest guides at a tiger reserve in the central-eastern state of Chhattisgarh. Parmeshwari helps amateur birders spot birds like [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“We know this jungle like the back of our hands. We have grown up with wild animals around us and already know the basic behavioural limitations,” said 19-year-old Parmeshwari, appointed as one of the first women forest guides at a tiger reserve in the central-eastern state of Chhattisgarh. Parmeshwari helps amateur birders spot birds like the red vented bulbul, turtle dove, hornbills and other raptors. In a move towards encouraging women employment in the region, the government of Chhattisgarh and the state forest department has inducted seven female forest guides at the Achanakmar Tiger Reserve. The women, who started their duties as forest guides in January 2017, are from the village of Bindawal which falls under the territory of the tiger reserve where employment opportunities for women are restricted. Durga (L) and Parmeshwari (R), two of the seven women from Bindawal village, Chhattisgarh, have been performing the duties of forest guides since January 2017 in Achanakmar Tiger Reserve.  Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, situated 190 kms away from Raipur, the state capital of Chhattisgarh, is spread over 914 sq kms. The region, mainly on the eastern highlands of the Maikal range blends with Kanha Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh through the Achanakmar-Kanha corridor completing the Greater Maikal landscape. According to the last census in 2014-2015, 26 tigers were found to inhabit the Reserve. Leopards, wild dogs, hyena and sambar deer also call Achanakamar Tiger Reserve their home. The reserve also has the presence of six hundred documented medicinal plants due to which&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/09/women-forest-guides-pave-new-paths-in-chhattisgarh/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Interview] Imagining an alternative future</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/05/interview-imagining-an-alternative-future/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/05/interview-imagining-an-alternative-future/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2018 08:24:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Darryl D'Monte]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/05/01065647/Pic-3-A-tribal-Village-in-the-Similipal-TR-Odisha-IMG_8510-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=970</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Odisha]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Forest Rights Act, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, National Parks, Non-Timber Forest Produce, People, Plants, Reserved Forest, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ashish Kothari, activist from Kalpavriksh in Pune, has co-edited with K.J. Joy a large and impressive tome called Alternative Futures: India Unshackled (Authors Upfront, 2017). They boldly attempt to predict the future trajectory of various aspects of Indian society and how, with more people-centric approaches to conservation and development, it will be possible to guarantee [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ashish Kothari, activist from Kalpavriksh in Pune, has co-edited with K.J. Joy a large and impressive tome called Alternative Futures: India Unshackled (Authors Upfront, 2017). They boldly attempt to predict the future trajectory of various aspects of Indian society and how, with more people-centric approaches to conservation and development, it will be possible to guarantee a country that is more sustainable in its use of natural resources while establishing a more equitable society. These broad-ranging aspects are tackled in 35 chapters with an array of authors, all experts in their fields. Mongabay-India spoke with Kothari about the thrust of the book, particularly with regard to new paradigms for conserving the country’s biodiversity. Can you briefly describe this book, why you and K. J. Joy put it together, and what subjects or themes are included in it? I have been feeling for many years a certain frustration with our constant firefighting mode, in which we are resisting and protesting development projects and policies that destroy the environment and displace people. This is obviously crucial, but equally important is to search for and promote alternatives, where we supplement what we are saying ‘no’ to with what we are saying ‘yes’ to. This search for pathways that meet human needs and aspirations without trashing the earth and without creating enormous inequalities, has led me to various parts of India and the world. Ashish Kothari with the headgear of Kutchi Maldhari pastoralists. Photo by Iokine Rodriguez. Simultaneously I’ve felt the desire to do some&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/05/interview-imagining-an-alternative-future/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Wall blocking an elephant corridor partially broken down in Assam</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/wall-blocking-an-elephant-corridor-partially-broken-down-in-assam/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/wall-blocking-an-elephant-corridor-partially-broken-down-in-assam/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Apr 2018 13:06:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/03/28145317/Wall-demolition-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=751</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Biodiversity, Elephants, Habitat Fragmentation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Protected Areas, Reserved Forest, Wildlife, and Wildlife Protection Act]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Environmental activists have expressed dismay at the partial demolition of a wall built by an oil refinery that they hoped would be completely pulled down. The wall, they contend, blocks an important elephant corridor out of a national park. Officials on March 13 tore down a 289-metre stretch of the 2.2-km concrete wall built in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Environmental activists have expressed dismay at the partial demolition of a wall built by an oil refinery that they hoped would be completely pulled down. The wall, they contend, blocks an important elephant corridor out of a national park. Officials on March 13 tore down a 289-metre stretch of the 2.2-km concrete wall built in 2011 to mark the boundary of a proposed township to be set up by Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), a joint venture between Bharat Petroleum, Oil India and the government of the state of Assam. Erected to fence off the company’s housing estate and a golf course, the wall became the centre of controversy in 2015. In May that year, forest officials found a 7-year-old male elephant that had reportedly died of “severe haemorrhage” from violently thrusting against the wall. The same year, environmentalists captured videos showing elephants trying to cross the high boundary wall. A campaign to tear down the wall, led by the environmental activist Rohit Choudhury, appeared to be successful when, in August 2016, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) — tasked with ensuring the speedy disposal of environmental cases — ordered NRL to demolish the entire length of the wall within a month. Demolition of the wall. Photo by Samarjit Sharma/Rohit Choudhury. The demolition earlier this month, Choudhury told Mongabay, was carried out only after he filed yet another plea with the NGT in November 2017, highlighting the failure to execute the NGT’s orders — something that could incur penalties for NRL and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/wall-blocking-an-elephant-corridor-partially-broken-down-in-assam/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>From reserved forests to protected area: How tiger numbers increased in Sathyamangalam</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/from-reserved-forests-to-protected-area-how-tiger-numbers-increased-in-sathyamangalam/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/from-reserved-forests-to-protected-area-how-tiger-numbers-increased-in-sathyamangalam/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Mar 2018 11:57:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharada Balasubramanian]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/03/08112152/2-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=612</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Biodiversity, Elephants, Forests, Mammals, National Parks, People, Poaching, Reserved Forest, Tigers, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[K. Alagirisamy stands guarding the forest check post in Hasanur, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR). “I was the last one to spot the tiger- right here on the road,” he says, pointing to a blackboard that listed sightings for the week. STR, which lies in the confluence of Eastern and Western Ghats, is contiguous to other [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[K. Alagirisamy stands guarding the forest check post in Hasanur, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR). “I was the last one to spot the tiger- right here on the road,” he says, pointing to a blackboard that listed sightings for the week. STR, which lies in the confluence of Eastern and Western Ghats, is contiguous to other tiger conservation landscapes such as the Biligiriranganatha Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRTWLS), Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR). It was declared as a tiger reserve (with the legal status of a national park) in 2013. With a mix of tropical thorn forests, mixed dry deciduous forests, southern tropical semi-evergreen forest (Michukuli Sholai), tropical hill forests (with savannah) and tropical riverine forests (Moyar river belt), the landscape is a conducive habitat for both tigers and their prey. The landscape of STR. Photo from the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. “In 2010, scat analysis for tigers were done, which showed that about 25 tigers were present here,” said C. H. Padma, deputy director of STR. “Based on this data, the area was declared a tiger reserve.” Wider landscapes in tiger areas Falling tiger numbers due to poaching and habitat fragmentation, globally, led to the formation of St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation in November 2010. The 13 tiger countries endorsed this declaration, striving to double their population by 2022. One of the main approaches to this was landscape expansion for connectivity of tiger habitats and recovery of their population. This approach emphasizes connecting tiger habitats,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/from-reserved-forests-to-protected-area-how-tiger-numbers-increased-in-sathyamangalam/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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