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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/shola-grasslands/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>Disappearing grasslands impact bird populations, study finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Aug 2026 16:37:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grassland ecology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nilgiri pipit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nilgiris]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/14123726/Nilgiri_Pipit_Anthus_nilghiriensis_from_Anaimalai_hills_IMG_2145-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40133</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Biosphere reserves, Birds, Conservation, Ecology, Encroachment, Endangered species, Endemic species, Forests, Grasslands, Habitat Loss, Shola-grasslands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Up in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, the gradual disappearance of the region’s shola grasslands has changed how birds navigate the landscape, highlighting the importance of habitat connectivity in preserving endemic biodiversity. The shola sky islands are unique montane forests separated by rolling grasslands. They’re biologically significant because they host a large number species whose global [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Up in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, the gradual disappearance of the region’s shola grasslands has changed how birds navigate the landscape, highlighting the importance of habitat connectivity in preserving endemic biodiversity. The shola sky islands are unique montane forests separated by rolling grasslands. They’re biologically significant because they host a large number species whose global distributions are concentrated here. But changes in land use dynamics have caused a steady decline in the populations of certain birds in the region. Colonial-era plantations of exotic tree species like Acacia, Eucalyptus and Pinus, which are not native to this region, have invaded several parts of the sky islands. Between 1973 and 2017, the islands lost 516 sq km of grasslands and 63 sq km of forests. These diminished habitats have also exposed the limits of adaptability for birds. “Highlighting how land-use change shapes species’ connectivity provides a window into how species specialised to high-elevation grassland habitat types respond to habitat alterations,” said Chiti Arvind, Postdoctoral Fellow, IISER Tirupati and a co-author of a research paper studying the impacts of land use change in the shola sky islands on bird movements. Shola forests and grasslands in the Nilgiris. Image by Davidvraju via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gains and losses The study covered approximately 2,900 sq km across the two largest sky islands — in the Nilgiris and Palani-Anamalais — at elevations higher than 1400 metres above sea level. The objective was to observe how habitat fragmentation impacted the movements of the seven most&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/disappearing-grasslands-impact-bird-populations-study-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Why Western Ghats states can’t agree on Eco-Sensitive Areas</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-western-ghats-states-cant-agree-on-eco-sensitive-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-western-ghats-states-cant-agree-on-eco-sensitive-areas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Aug 2026 19:06:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Karnataka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Ghats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/10180504/View_of_Western_ghats_from_Rajmachi_point_Khandala_on_the_Mumbai-Pune_expressway-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40014</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Conservation, Deforestation, Endemic species, Environment, Forests, Habitat Fragmentation, Shola-grasslands, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On July 27, the Union Environment Ministry issued the seventh draft notification delineating the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) falling within the Western Ghats. The ESA restricts activity within the Western Ghats to preserve its biodiversity and geological integrity in the face of rising human activity. But even as experts argue the urgent need to finally [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On July 27, the Union Environment Ministry issued the seventh draft notification delineating the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) falling within the Western Ghats. The ESA restricts activity within the Western Ghats to preserve its biodiversity and geological integrity in the face of rising human activity. But even as experts argue the urgent need to finally notify the ESA, states have been unable to reach a consensus about which areas the notification should cover. The Western Ghats stretch from the Tapti river valley in the Gujarat-Maharashtra border down across 1,500 kilometres south to Kanyakumari, crossing Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu along the way. This region is considered one of the world&#8217;s eight &#8220;hottest&#8221; biodiversity hotspots, hosting more than 7,000 species of flora and fauna. It is also extremely landslide prone, necessitating “special measures of protection and mitigation,” the draft notification says. But since it was released, representatives from Kerala, Karnataka, and Goa have reportedly expressed apprehensions over the economic consequences of restricting economic activity within the ESA zones. The tenure of the expert committee formed to guide the ESA notification process has been extended to 2027, to help settle these issues and finalise the area. Why some states are unhappy The latest ESA draft notification covers 56,825 square kilometres, largely retaining the area of its predecessor. Apart from banning mining, sand mining, quarrying, thermal power plants, and red category industries, the notification restricts the construction of built up areas to 20,000 square metres, and townships to an area of 50&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-western-ghats-states-cant-agree-on-eco-sensitive-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The grass that refused to die</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-grass-that-refused-to-die/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-grass-that-refused-to-die/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jan 2026 11:58:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[K.A. Shaji]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grass]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/08100102/6-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36386</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Environment, Grasslands, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Protected Areas, and Shola-grasslands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The hills of Eravikulam wake slowly. Before sunrise, the slopes are almost invisible, holding the last cold breath of night. Then a thin, colourless light appears over the rounded grass ridges and reveals shola hollows, rock faces, and faint animal paths. A Nilgiri tahr steps out near its main point Rajamala, pausing above a cliff [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The hills of Eravikulam wake slowly. Before sunrise, the slopes are almost invisible, holding the last cold breath of night. Then a thin, colourless light appears over the rounded grass ridges and reveals shola hollows, rock faces, and faint animal paths. A Nilgiri tahr steps out near its main point Rajamala, pausing above a cliff as if listening for something familiar in the wind. Located close to the famed hill town of Munnar in Idukki district of Kerala, Eravikulam looks inevitable today, as if these vast expanses of high grassland had always been destined to become a national park. Nothing about its present stability indicates how close it once came to vanishing under a file stamp at the state revenue department. Fifty years ago, the same slopes, now described as prime habitat of the highly endangered Nilgiri tahr, were listed as surplus land under Kerala’s ​m​uch-celebrated and revolutionary land reform programme. The grasslands that hold the highest concentration of Nilgiri tahr in the world, apart from supporting vast spreads of Strobilanthes kunthiana, known as kurinji or Neelakurinji, which blooms once in twelve years, were treated in official language as “vacant”, “idle”, and “available for redistribution” among the landless. When grass was treated as nothing In fact, the misunderstanding did not begin in the 1970s. It began much earlier, when colonial hunters arrived in their old plantation town, Munnar, with rifles. In British estate records, the high grass country above Munnar was referred to by names such as “top grass”, “spare&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/the-grass-that-refused-to-die/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Old maps and dead birds reveal the story of grassland and bird decline in the Nilgiris</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/old-maps-and-dead-birds-reveal-the-story-of-grassland-and-bird-decline-in-the-nilgiris/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/old-maps-and-dead-birds-reveal-the-story-of-grassland-and-bird-decline-in-the-nilgiris/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Aug 2025 16:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nilgiris]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/19130928/yellow-browed-bulbul-banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34200</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Grasslands, Shola-grasslands, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In a library in London, researchers carefully unfolded a fragile 177-year-old Indian map across the floor like a giant jigsaw puzzle. In another museum on the outskirts of London, researchers scanned through rows of century-old Indian bird specimens with handwritten labels neatly arranged in drawers. Together, these fragments helped the team tell a modern story: [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In a library in London, researchers carefully unfolded a fragile 177-year-old Indian map across the floor like a giant jigsaw puzzle. In another museum on the outskirts of London, researchers scanned through rows of century-old Indian bird specimens with handwritten labels neatly arranged in drawers. Together, these fragments helped the team tell a modern story: how British colonial-era policies triggered the collapse of the Nilgiris’ grasslands and the birds that once thrived there. High in the southern Western Ghats, the Nilgiri hills, home to hill stations like Ooty and Coonoor, and a backdrop for Bollywood films, once hosted an expansive, striking mosaic of evergreen forests called sholas and rolling grasslands. These montane shola-grasslands, about 20,000 years old, support threatened biodiversity, channel water into rivers, and sustain local cultures. But in less than two centuries, much of this landscape has been erased. The grassy expanses that once stretched for kilometres are now carpeted by tea, eucalyptus, pine, wattle, and others, plants introduced by the British settlers in the 1800s. Earlier satellite-based studies estimated that montane grasslands across the Western Ghats have declined by about 66% in just four decades due to exotic trees and their invasion. But by revisiting colonial records, a July 2025 study by an international team of 10 institutions reveals a longer arc. Since 1848, the Nilgiris have lost nearly 80% of their iconic grasslands, and almost 90% of grassland-dependent birds have declined too. The digitised 1848 Nilgiri hills map. Researchers found the pieces of the map in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/old-maps-and-dead-birds-reveal-the-story-of-grassland-and-bird-decline-in-the-nilgiris/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/old-maps-and-dead-birds-reveal-the-story-of-grassland-and-bird-decline-in-the-nilgiris/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nilgiri pipit seeks better status as habitat shrinks</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/nilgiri-pipit-seeks-better-status-as-habitat-shrinks/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/nilgiri-pipit-seeks-better-status-as-habitat-shrinks/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Apr 2024 13:34:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation status]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[endangered]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IUCN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nilgiri pipit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vulnerable]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/04/09121936/DSCN1397-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27256</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Climate Change, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Impacts of Climate Change, and Shola-grasslands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[If there&#8217;s one avian resident of the Western Ghats that has captured the imagination of both birders and researchers alike, it&#8217;s the Nilgiri pipit. Not for its flamboyant plumage, mind you. Indeed, if aesthetic allure is what you seek in a bird, then the Nilgiri pipit would largely disappoint. However, this seemingly unremarkable bird stands [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[If there&#8217;s one avian resident of the Western Ghats that has captured the imagination of both birders and researchers alike, it&#8217;s the Nilgiri pipit. Not for its flamboyant plumage, mind you. Indeed, if aesthetic allure is what you seek in a bird, then the Nilgiri pipit would largely disappoint. However, this seemingly unremarkable bird stands out for its distinctive ecological niche. Endemic to montane grasslands of the Western Ghats, it is a specialist in its habitat preferences. Typically found at high altitudes of 1,600 metres or above, the Nilgiri pipit (Anthus nilghiriensis) is highly range-restricted which makes it vulnerable to multiple threats from climate change to habitat fragmentation and degradation. Grasslands with restricted distributions are found in montane regions across the tropics, where they often form a mosaic with tropical montane forests. These tropical montane grasslands host unique and endemic species which makes its conservation all the more crucial. Habitat loss as an immediate threat As grasslands continue to diminish across India, species like the Nilgiri pipit face the looming spectre of habitat loss. Researchers are increasingly concerned that it may be one of the endemic species of the montane shola grasslands of the Western Ghats teetering on the brink of extinction due to this drastic environmental degradation. Some ecologists like V.V. Robin, associate professor at IISER-Tirupati, confirms the bird faces high extinction rate from habitat loss. Nilgiri-based naturalist and restoration practitioner Vasanth Godwin Bosco observes that he is seeing fewer numbers of the bird which makes local extinction a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/04/nilgiri-pipit-seeks-better-status-as-habitat-shrinks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study finds potential to restore native shola trees under the shade of the exotic Acacia</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/restoring-native-shola-trees-under-the-shade-of-the-exotic-acacia/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/restoring-native-shola-trees-under-the-shade-of-the-exotic-acacia/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Feb 2024 13:56:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ashvita Anand]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trees]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/02/29133146/IMG_1061-scaled-e1709194048853-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26717</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Reforestation and Shola-grasslands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Native shola forest species could regenerate under exotic tree plantations, found a team of scientists that investigated the possibility of restoring shola forests under abandoned exotic tree plantations in the Western Ghats. Exotic tree plantations in India have been prevalent since the late eighteenth century and were established for different purposes ranging from their ornamental [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Native shola forest species could regenerate under exotic tree plantations, found a team of scientists that investigated the possibility of restoring shola forests under abandoned exotic tree plantations in the Western Ghats. Exotic tree plantations in India have been prevalent since the late eighteenth century and were established for different purposes ranging from their ornamental presence to providing timber and firewood to planting specific trees such as acacia for tannins. While some studies report a negative effect of exotic tree plantations on the presence and range of native species, others suggest that these plantations allow for native and endangered species to thrive. The team comprising scientists from the University of Freiburg, Germany; TERI School of Advanced Studies, India; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany; and the Faculty of Forestry, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz, Germany, assessed the abundance, diversity and composition of the regeneration of shola forest tree species in plantations with different dominant trees. The study area was situated in the Upper Palani Hills (1,500m – 2,450m), which comprise diverse landscapes including “montane forests, grasslands, agricultural lands including diverse agro-forestry systems, water bodies, and forest plantations.” Currently, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is permitted to remove black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) plantations in the Palani Hills and work towards restoring the tropical montane forests in this region by planting shola tree species samplings. A view of Palani Hills. Photo by CProgrammer/Flickr. Exotic tree plantations are at the heart of two key debates: the loss of historic grasslands that these plantations replaced and the non-conducive environmental&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/restoring-native-shola-trees-under-the-shade-of-the-exotic-acacia/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Environmental activism in the Nilgiris: too early to rejoice?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/07/environmental-activism-in-the-nilgiris-too-early-to-rejoice/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/07/environmental-activism-in-the-nilgiris-too-early-to-rejoice/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jul 2021 14:55:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nina Varghese]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/07/15134359/Banner-N-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14843</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Ecology, Encroachment, Environment, Environmental Politics, Forests, Grasslands, and Shola-grasslands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The past two decades have seen an increase in environmental activism in the Nilgiris, as well as other parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It has evolved from protests, dharnas and the effective harnessing of science, technology and social media to mobilise people. Activists have also taken judicial recourse to protect the environment, said Siddhartha [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The past two decades have seen an increase in environmental activism in the Nilgiris, as well as other parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It has evolved from protests, dharnas and the effective harnessing of science, technology and social media to mobilise people. Activists have also taken judicial recourse to protect the environment, said Siddhartha Krishnan, an environmental sociologist at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE). On June 9, the Madras High Court had set the benchmark for dealing with the alleged encroachment of forest land in the Nilgiris. Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy of the Madras High Court said that “not even an inch of forest land must be encroached upon”. The petitioner, S. Prabhakaran had approached the court and drew attention to the encroachment of forest land by a private resort that is under construction near Naduvattom town. In his petition, Prabhakaran said that this encroachment has led to the destruction of the habitat, damage to the ecosystem, deforestation and disruption in the natural flow of water. He also mentioned that the resort had laid pipelines to extract water from the forest and urged the court to order a survey at the location to demarcate the forest land. The Madras High Court instructed the district collector and the forest department to inspect the spot and retrieve the encroached land. The court directed that copies of the petition are to be forwarded to the Advocate-General of the State, to emphasise the seriousness of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/07/environmental-activism-in-the-nilgiris-too-early-to-rejoice/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Are we overlooking the role of grasslands in mitigating climate change?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/are-we-overlooking-the-role-of-grasslands-in-mitigating-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/are-we-overlooking-the-role-of-grasslands-in-mitigating-climate-change/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Jun 2021 14:11:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aathira Perinchery]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plantations]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/06/29121952/9d814902-1d2c-441b-9126-3efd4dfffdea-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14678</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Eco Hope and Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat, Kerala, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Forests, Grasslands, Nature-based Climate Solutions, People, and Shola-grasslands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2019, black wattle trees stood tall in around 50 hectares of land in Pazhathottam in Kerala’s Pambadum Shola National Park. Black wattle, in India, is an exotic, invasive tree and here, in Pazhathottam, it had invaded the open montane grasslands that occur naturally in these higher reaches of the Western Ghats. When an unexpected [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2019, black wattle trees stood tall in around 50 hectares of land in Pazhathottam in Kerala’s Pambadum Shola National Park. Black wattle, in India, is an exotic, invasive tree and here, in Pazhathottam, it had invaded the open montane grasslands that occur naturally in these higher reaches of the Western Ghats. When an unexpected fire gutted the stand, forest officials were presented with a unique opportunity: they could now restore the land to its original habitat. They could grow back a grassland. And they did just that. Officials roped in local communities to plant native grass species such as Chrysopogon nodulibarbis and finger grasses (Digitaria species). Today, two years later, a lush grassland stands strong where invasive trees once stood. Arun K. Nair, assistant wildlife warden of the Shola National Park, where this restoration project was undertaken, says the changes are apparent. “Streams have now rejuvenated on these slopes,” he said. Direct sightings of wildlife and pictures caught on camera traps suggest that wildlife presence has increased, he said: large herbivores including Indian gaur and sambhar deer are now regulars here. Even human-wildlife conflict may have decreased over the last two years, claimed Nair (if you go by the indirect and not-so-ideal metric of the total monetary compensation that the Munnar Forest Division has to offer people for wildlife-caused losses in the area). This story of growing back a grassland, however, is not a common one. Forest restoration, or the glamorous but tough job of growing back trees, is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/are-we-overlooking-the-role-of-grasslands-in-mitigating-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The risks of tree plantation in grassland and non-forest areas</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/the-risks-of-tree-plantation-in-grassland-and-non-forest-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/the-risks-of-tree-plantation-in-grassland-and-non-forest-areas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 May 2021 11:25:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/05/18195715/banner4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14189</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Conservation, Deforestation, Ecology, Endangered species, Environment, Forest Carbon, Forestry, Forests, Grasslands, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Impacts of Climate Change, Plantations, Protected Areas, Reforestation, Shola-grasslands, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A tree-planting frenzy has taken over many countries to counter climate change. In July 2019, Ethiopia announced that they planted more than 350 million trees in one day. A month later in India, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that more than a million people planted 220 million trees on a single day to increase the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A tree-planting frenzy has taken over many countries to counter climate change. In July 2019, Ethiopia announced that they planted more than 350 million trees in one day. A month later in India, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that more than a million people planted 220 million trees on a single day to increase the state&#8217;s forest cover. “Always be suspicious of such big claims,” says William Bond, a grasslands researcher and emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. “It&#8217;s taken for granted that tree planting is good. But look at what they’re planting, where they’re planting.” Intuitively, planting trees makes sense, especially given the high levels of forest loss and fires around the world. Even in 2020, when it was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world lost 4.2 million hectares (10.4 million acres) of old-growth tropical forest in places such as the Brazilian Amazon — 12% higher compared to the previous year, according to data from the University of Maryland and Global Forest Watch. Carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and forest clearing are also at an all-time high. Where pre-industrial levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide were about 278 parts per million (ppm), contemporary levels exceeded 420 ppm in April 2021, according to data from the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawai‘i. Planting trees, then, can seem like the easiest way to battle both problems — it has the potential to create “forests” and soak up excess carbon dioxide from the air. This&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/the-risks-of-tree-plantation-in-grassland-and-non-forest-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Conserving high elevation shola-grasslands crucial for the endemic Nilgiri pipit</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/conserving-high-elevation-shola-grasslands-crucial-for-the-endemic-nilgiri-pipit/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/conserving-high-elevation-shola-grasslands-crucial-for-the-endemic-nilgiri-pipit/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Sep 2020 12:29:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aathira Perinchery]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/09/08185053/Nilgiri-Pipit_Prasenjeet-Yadav-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=11270</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Climate Change, Conservation, Habitat Fragmentation, Shola-grasslands, and Sky Islands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[If it&#8217;s bright-hued birds you prefer watching, you&#8217;d barely look at a Nilgiri pipit twice. Moreover, the bird can be difficult to spot: the drab-coloured tones on its small, streaked body will quickly melt into the caramel of the high altitude grasslands in the Western Ghats, where it dwells. But even within this specialised habitat, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[If it&#8217;s bright-hued birds you prefer watching, you&#8217;d barely look at a Nilgiri pipit twice. Moreover, the bird can be difficult to spot: the drab-coloured tones on its small, streaked body will quickly melt into the caramel of the high altitude grasslands in the Western Ghats, where it dwells. But even within this specialised habitat, the bird occurs far more frequently at the highest elevations, finds a new study. This, coupled with the finding that invasive plants signify poor-quality habitats for the pipit, points to the urgent need to conserve the remaining patches of high elevation shola-grasslands, caution scientists. Introduced invasive plants are indeed a worry in the higher reaches of the Western Ghats. And more so because these areas – above elevations of roughly 1,400 metres Above Sea Level (ASL) – are home to a unique but gradually-disappearing ecosystem called the shola-grassland mosaic, where montane grasslands occur beside small patches of stunted evergreen forests called sholas. Between 1973 and 2014, for instance, the Palani Hills in Tamil Nadu alone lost almost 250 square kilometres of shola-grasslands and shola-forests; 88 percent of this loss occurred in shola-grasslands and the main culprit was the invasive, exotic black wattle tree, found a study by scientists including V. V. Robin, an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati (IISER Tirupati). Decreasing shola-grasslands mean lesser space for grassland dwellers such as the Nilgiri pipit Anthus nilghiriensis, a songbird endemic to the Western Ghats. Introduced, invasive plants are a worry&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/09/conserving-high-elevation-shola-grasslands-crucial-for-the-endemic-nilgiri-pipit/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Conserving the Toda buffalo before it is too late</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/05/conserving-the-toda-buffalo-before-it-is-too-late/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/05/conserving-the-toda-buffalo-before-it-is-too-late/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>26 May 2020 12:55:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Catherine Gilon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/05/26121818/Toda-buffaloes-grazing-in-the-Nilgiris-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=9893</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Habitat Loss, Indigenous Peoples, Mammals, Shola-grasslands, and Sky Islands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Polker Kuttan, a 72-year-old Toda tribal from the Nilgiris, is like a local weather expert &#8211; he can predict the onset or delay of the seasonal rains and even the duration of each spell. Polker says that just a whiff of the flowers found in the mund (Toda settlements) would tell him when the next [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Polker Kuttan, a 72-year-old Toda tribal from the Nilgiris, is like a local weather expert &#8211; he can predict the onset or delay of the seasonal rains and even the duration of each spell. Polker says that just a whiff of the flowers found in the mund (Toda settlements) would tell him when the next rain spell is bound to happen. He observes how the rains and their lives have become unpredictable in recent times. “In the last 15 years, everything has changed. The flowers are disappearing and so are the honey bees. We used to collect honey during the summer, but it has become increasingly difficult,” he said. But the change that hits him the hardest is the disappearance of their beloved Toda buffaloes. These buffaloes, so named for their close association with the tribe, are a breed of the Asiatic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Polker says the buffaloes have reduced to one-tenth of the original population in their villages. A 2013 livestock breed study revealed that the population of pure breed Toda buffalo totaled 3003. “Even the milk yield, which was 5 litres per day per buffalo, has reduced to 1 litre per day. This is primarily because their grazing lands have reduced drastically,” he added. The close-knit Toda communities live in settlements called munds across the Nilgiris. With many Todas moving out for jobs, only 65 munds remain. Each mund has around 4-10 homes, one or two temples and a buffalo pen near their abode. For elderly Todas like&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/05/conserving-the-toda-buffalo-before-it-is-too-late/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>Your environment this week: Punjab farmers&#8217; widows contest elections, Ganga is shifting at Patna</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/your-environment-this-week-punjab-farmers-widows-contest-elections-ganga-is-shifting-at-patna/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/your-environment-this-week-punjab-farmers-widows-contest-elections-ganga-is-shifting-at-patna/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 May 2019 17:30:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/05/13203759/Ganga-Shiting-Barren-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=5263</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Coast, Conservation, Environment, Grasslands, Groundwater, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, New species, Oceans, Rivers, and Shola-grasslands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This week&#8217;s stories rolled into one. To receive a weekly email with a roundup of our stories, please sign-up to our newsletter. Punjab farmers’ widows respond to apathy by standing in elections Punjab farmers are trapped in a cycle of debt and on average, at least two farmers are committing suicide every day in the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This week&#8217;s stories rolled into one. To receive a weekly email with a roundup of our stories, please sign-up to our newsletter. Punjab farmers’ widows respond to apathy by standing in elections Punjab farmers are trapped in a cycle of debt and on average, at least two farmers are committing suicide every day in the state since 2000, an estimate based on multiple reports. Widow of a farmer is fighting the 2019 elections in Bathinda against the mainstream political parties. Photo by Mayank Aggarwal/Mongabay-India. Punjab’s groundwater stress drowns in election noise If groundwater extraction continues at the current rate, Punjab will be a desert within the next 25 years, reports say. Farmers admit that excessive use of pesticides has also led to heavy pollution of groundwater which is threatening their health. Photo by Mayank Aggarwal/ Mongabay. Ganga is shifting away from Patna The Ganga has moved 5-6 km away from Patna in the past 30 years. Apart from geogenic factors, sand mining and brick kilns are considered the major reasons for the shift. Experts say that excessive sand mining and dumping by a large number of brick kilns into the river are among the reasons that led to a change in Ganga’s course. Photo by Hridayesh Joshi. Gollum surfaces in India: Scientists document the first underground snakehead fish Scientists document the first underground-dwelling fish from the snakehead family, the Gollum snakehead, named after Gollum from JRR Tolkien’s epic novel ‘The Lord of The Rings’. The Gollum snakehead, the first subterranean snakehead. Photo&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/your-environment-this-week-punjab-farmers-widows-contest-elections-ganga-is-shifting-at-patna/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>When the grass was green: Todas of the Nilgiris long for their lost grasslands</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/when-the-grass-was-green-todas-of-the-nilgiris-long-for-their-lost-grasslands/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/when-the-grass-was-green-todas-of-the-nilgiris-long-for-their-lost-grasslands/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>16 May 2019 15:04:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bhanu Sridharan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/05/16112401/Toda-Banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=5250</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Forests, Grasslands, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Indigenous Peoples, Industry, Mountains, Rivers, Shola-grasslands, Tribes, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Standing in the middle of a grassy hill, Thorthey Gooden looked around. The grass was short, just an inch long – like a lawn drying out in the summer. In a small dip to the right stood a clump of trees, short and gnarled. Behind them in the distance was a stand of tall coniferous [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Standing in the middle of a grassy hill, Thorthey Gooden looked around. The grass was short, just an inch long – like a lawn drying out in the summer. In a small dip to the right stood a clump of trees, short and gnarled. Behind them in the distance was a stand of tall coniferous trees. “It is so ugly,” said Thorthey grimacing. “How can tourists come all the way to see this?” He was referring to the conifers, exotic pine trees that had been planted in the hills in the upper reaches of the Nilgiris, in the high altitude grassland homes of the Toda community. The original human inhabitants of the high mountains of the Nilgiris belong to one of six indigenous tribes &#8211; Toda, Kota, Badaga, Kurumba, Irular and Paniyar. All except the Badaga community are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, owing to their distinct culture, small population size and restricted geographies. Of these, the Todas have invited somewhat more attention and scrutiny by anthropologists because of their distinctive features, language and pastoral lifestyle centred around the Toda buffalo, a distinct breed that geneticists found had been separated from the Indian plains buffalo for at least 2000 years. Buffalos are considered sacred in the Toda culture. The high altitude grasslands of the Nilgiris were destroyed by the exotic trees and shrubs planted by the British and Indian governments. Photo by Bhanu Sridharan. The Nilgiris are among the highest mountains in the long Western Ghats mountain chain, with&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/when-the-grass-was-green-todas-of-the-nilgiris-long-for-their-lost-grasslands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Did you ever think that tree plantation drives could threaten an ecosystem?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/did-you-ever-think-that-tree-plantation-drives-could-threaten-an-ecosystem/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/did-you-ever-think-that-tree-plantation-drives-could-threaten-an-ecosystem/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Mar 2019 10:06:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bhanu Sridharan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/03/04100139/DSC_0264-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=4362</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Forests, Habitat Loss, Mountains, Shola-grasslands, and Sky Islands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In many ways, the Western Ghats is a study in contrast. While the foothills and slopes of the mountain range are covered in dense rainforest, the higher reaches are a completely different ecosystem. Across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the three states that have the highest mountains of the Western Ghats (1,200 metres to 2,600 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In many ways, the Western Ghats is a study in contrast. While the foothills and slopes of the mountain range are covered in dense rainforest, the higher reaches are a completely different ecosystem. Across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the three states that have the highest mountains of the Western Ghats (1,200 metres to 2,600 metres), forests open up into vast grasslands dotted with small clumps of stunted evergreen trees called shola forests. The differences don’t end there. While the lower reaches of the Western Ghats suffer from deforestation, a new study says that the grasslands of the mountain tops are under threat from an influx of exotic trees. Grassland ecosystems across India have been considered wastelands since the British Raj – a perception that still exists. In the montane (high elevation) grasslands of the Western Ghats, this perception coupled with a need for timber and pulpwood had led to large scale plantations of exotic trees like eucalyptus, wattle and pine by the British and, after independence, by the Indian Forest Department. Planting stopped in the 1980s, when the timber demand declined, and local environmentalists began to campaign against drought-inducing trees like eucalyptus in some habitats. But the old trees remained, including in popular hill stations like Ooty in the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal in Palani hills in Tamil Nadu, and Munnar in the Anamalai hills in Kerala. Three decades on, what has the existence of these plantations done to the landscape? Are these benign relics of a misguided management or&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/did-you-ever-think-that-tree-plantation-drives-could-threaten-an-ecosystem/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/did-you-ever-think-that-tree-plantation-drives-could-threaten-an-ecosystem/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Once in a blue bloom: Kerala’s famed Neelakurinji set for rare mass bloom</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/07/once-in-a-blue-bloom-keralas-famed-neelakurinji-set-for-rare-mass-bloom/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/07/once-in-a-blue-bloom-keralas-famed-neelakurinji-set-for-rare-mass-bloom/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jul 2018 12:14:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ajith LawrenceHaritha John]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human encroachment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kerala]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Threat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tourism]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/07/12000100/Pic-11-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=1738</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Encroachment, Mountains, Plants, Protected Areas, Rivers, Shola-grasslands, and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Starting late July, the Anamalai hills near Munnar in Kerala will be resplendent, clad in a purplish blue carpet. The famed neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) will burst into flower – a phenomenon that occurs once in 12 years. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the Munnar hills to behold the spectacle that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Starting late July, the Anamalai hills near Munnar in Kerala will be resplendent, clad in a purplish blue carpet. The famed neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) will burst into flower – a phenomenon that occurs once in 12 years. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the Munnar hills to behold the spectacle that lasts up until October. Munnar is home to the highest concentration of neelakurinji plants in the country — spread over 3000 hectares of rolling hills. The spectacular mass flowering of neelakurinji happens only once in 12 years — each shrub reproduces once in its life time and dies after flowering. It takes another 12 years for the seeds to sprout again and grow up to 30 to 60 centimetres high, for another glorious bloom. The neelakurinji belongs to the genus Strobilanthes, which is a tropical plant species found in Asia and Australia. There are about 450 species of Strobilanthes in the world, of which 146 are found in India and of them, about 43, in Kerala. The blooming of neelakurunji this year has ensured the fourth most important place for the Western Ghats in the Lonely Planet&#8217;s 2018 Best in Asia. &nbsp; A Nilgiri tahr grazes amidst kurinji shrubs. Photo by Prasad Ambattu. According to Prasad Ambattu, a journalist and a resident of Munnar, there are two 12-year cycles simultaneously going on in the Anamalai hills. In one cycle, the last neelakurinji bloom was in 2006 and the next one is now, in 2018. In&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/07/once-in-a-blue-bloom-keralas-famed-neelakurinji-set-for-rare-mass-bloom/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>This draft national forest policy too gives short shrift to grasslands</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/this-draft-national-forest-policy-too-gives-short-shrift-to-grasslands/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/this-draft-national-forest-policy-too-gives-short-shrift-to-grasslands/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Apr 2018 11:33:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bhanu Sridharan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/04/13105321/Photo-3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=830</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Thar Desert, and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Birds, Endangered species, Environmental Law, Forests, Grasslands, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Mammals, People, and Shola-grasslands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 1987, Asad Rahmani, ornithologist and the former director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), wrote in the journal Oryx that the greatest threat to the great Indian bustard was the loss of grasslands in India. The bustard, likes open land with short vegetation. The sandy deserts of Rajasthan, open scrub forests of Maharashtra [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 1987, Asad Rahmani, ornithologist and the former director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), wrote in the journal Oryx that the greatest threat to the great Indian bustard was the loss of grasslands in India. The bustard, likes open land with short vegetation. The sandy deserts of Rajasthan, open scrub forests of Maharashtra and semi-arid grasslands of peninsular India, Rahmani noted, were ideal habitat for this endemic bird. A year after this study in 1988, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) released a revised version of the National Forest Policy of 1988 (NFP-1988). The policy set a vision for covering one-third of the country in forests by planting trees in non-forest lands such as river banks, lakes, beaches and the “semi-arid, and desert tracts,” that bustards love. No part of the policy talked about protecting or restoring other ecosystems. The endemic Great Indian Bustards in one of its last bastions in the Desert National Park, Rajasthan. Photo by Prajwal K. M. / Wikimedia Commons. Grasslands were historically neglected ever since India’s first national forest policy, starting with the British administration. These treeless, timber-free landscapes have been historically considered wastelands. This label annoys Rahmani no end. “It is our stupidity and culpability that we consider some ecosystems as waste,” he said, insisting that wastelands were created when human beings interfered with natural ecosystems. The narrative of grasslands as wastelands Since the 1950s, ecologists and naturalists have repeatedly pointed out that India’s wildlife does not just inhabit&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/this-draft-national-forest-policy-too-gives-short-shrift-to-grasslands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/this-draft-national-forest-policy-too-gives-short-shrift-to-grasslands/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Getting to know the Nilgiri Marten, a rare small mammal from the Western Ghats</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/getting-to-know-the-nilgiri-marten-a-rare-small-mammal-from-the-western-ghats/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/getting-to-know-the-nilgiri-marten-a-rare-small-mammal-from-the-western-ghats/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Apr 2018 06:06:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manupriya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/03/24122349/02_Nilgirimarten_Neelakandan-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=717</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Endemic species, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Mammals, Protected Areas, Shola-grasslands, Sky Islands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Idukki district in Kerala, inside the Munnar Wildlife Division is the Pampadum Shola National Park. Its undulating terrain, filled with the shola grasslands and temperate forests trees, forms the ideal habitat for several animals endemic to the Western Ghats, One of them is the Nilgiri marten. Belonging to the same family as the badgers [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Idukki district in Kerala, inside the Munnar Wildlife Division is the Pampadum Shola National Park. Its undulating terrain, filled with the shola grasslands and temperate forests trees, forms the ideal habitat for several animals endemic to the Western Ghats, One of them is the Nilgiri marten. Belonging to the same family as the badgers and weasels, this Indian mustelid is a small carnivore, found exclusively in the Western Ghats. It is about 50-70 cm long and dark brown in colour, with a distinct lemon yellow coloured patch on its throat. Scientific estimates limit its population to a mere 1000 individuals. Not only is the Nilgiri marten rare, it is also insufficiently studied. The animal’s cryptic nature makes it particularly hard to observe and study. Recently however, a group of researchers from Kerala have attempted to observe the Nilgiri marten in its natural habitat and study its behaviour, feeding habits, social interactions and several other aspects of its daily life. They have published the outcomes of this study in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. Between October 2013 and October 2015, the scientists made weekly visits to the Pampadum Shola National Park, trying to look for the Nilgiri marten from dawn to dusk. Over the two-year period they spent close to 1500 hours in the field and made 42 independent sightings. Most of these were brief encounters, with the longest one lasting only 3 minutes. In more than half the sightings, the martens were seen in a group of 2-3 members.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/getting-to-know-the-nilgiri-marten-a-rare-small-mammal-from-the-western-ghats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Is the Supreme Court judgment on the Kaveri environmentally sustainable?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/is-the-supreme-court-judgment-on-the-kaveri-environmentally-sustainable/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/is-the-supreme-court-judgment-on-the-kaveri-environmentally-sustainable/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Mar 2018 09:20:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/03/22164127/Pic-51-768x450.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=705</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Environment, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Forests, Grasslands, Groundwater, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Impacts of Climate Change, Lakes, People, Rainforests, Rivers, Shola-grasslands, Villages, Water, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Summer is the pilot car that the monsoon follows into the Indian peninsula from the Indian Ocean. Thus, Kerala, which is at the entry point for the southwest monsoon, is also the first point in the country to have its summer. February and March are the hottest months in this coastal state, and when the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Summer is the pilot car that the monsoon follows into the Indian peninsula from the Indian Ocean. Thus, Kerala, which is at the entry point for the southwest monsoon, is also the first point in the country to have its summer. February and March are the hottest months in this coastal state, and when the rest of the country simmers under the unrelenting heat of May, Kerala would have cooled a little, if the pre-monsoon showers are on time. If the current temperatures in Kerala could be an indication – with Palakkad already crossing 400 C – this summer could be severe in much of peninsular India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) will take time to announce its forecast for the southwest monsoon of 2018, so it is too early to say whether the monsoon rains could compensate for the summer heat. As the rivers dry this summer, the quantum water in the Kaveri river will evoke greater interest and animosity, since the Supreme Court added an additional dimension to the complex water-sharing between the riparian states by reallocating the shares of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Even though Kerala and Puducherry are also riparian states in the Kaveri issue, it is the allocation between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu that has garnered most attention. Give and take Traditional belief has it that Kaveri begins as a stream from under the Brahmagiri Hill at Thalakaveri in Kodagu district of Karnataka. The stream flows into a pond and disappears to later reappear at&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/is-the-supreme-court-judgment-on-the-kaveri-environmentally-sustainable/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/is-the-supreme-court-judgment-on-the-kaveri-environmentally-sustainable/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Palani Hills: Where have the grasslands gone?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/02/palani-hills-where-have-the-grasslands-gone/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/02/palani-hills-where-have-the-grasslands-gone/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Feb 2018 11:14:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vrushal Pendharkar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/02/20105247/Pic-31-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=529</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Forests, Grasslands, Plantations, Plants, Shola-grasslands, and Timber]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Almost smack in the centre of the Palani hill range that forms the eastern spur of the Western Ghats, lies the hill station of Kodaikanal. This once sleepy idyllic getaway now, like many others, bustles with tourists, vehicles and is overrun by indiscriminate construction. Situated at an elevation of over 2000 meters, Kodaikanal was once [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Almost smack in the centre of the Palani hill range that forms the eastern spur of the Western Ghats, lies the hill station of Kodaikanal. This once sleepy idyllic getaway now, like many others, bustles with tourists, vehicles and is overrun by indiscriminate construction. Situated at an elevation of over 2000 meters, Kodaikanal was once surrounded by pockets of sky island sholas nestled amidst hills of rolling grasslands on rocky mountain cliffs. The upper plateaus of the Western Ghats, rising above 2000 m, serve as sky islands because they are pockets of temperate climate nestled within tropical latitudes. Thus, they support unique biodiversity. This was until the British administration moved into the hills in the later part of the 19th century. Terming the vast grasslands as barren, the British reshaped the Palani hills by planting exotic woody trees like black wattle (Acacia mearnsii), eucalyptus and pine. The policy of planting these trees, which could be used as pulp for paper and rayon industries, continued even later with the Tamil Nadu Government’s policies. In the last century, these foreign imports have run such a riot in the region that they have taken over the shola forests and annexed the grasslands. A recent study by a team of researchers from the Indian National Trust for Arts and Heritage (INTACH), Kodaikanal; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tirupati; Vattakanal Conservation Trust, Kodaikanal; Ashoka Trust for Research on Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru and others examines how native vegetation in Palani hills&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/02/palani-hills-where-have-the-grasslands-gone/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Extremely rare cobra lily rediscovered within the Nilgiri mountains</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2017/11/extremely-rare-cobra-lily-rediscovered-within-the-nilgiris/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2017/11/extremely-rare-cobra-lily-rediscovered-within-the-nilgiris/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Nov 2017 22:29:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flowers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nilgiris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plants]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2017/11/30165650/Arisaema-translucens-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=54</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Endangered species, Endemic species, Environment, Forests, New species, Plants, Shola-grasslands, Sky Islands, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Naturalists in India have rediscovered a rare flowering plant — Arisaema translucens — after nearly 80 years. Botanist Edward Barnes first collected this plant in 1932 from the Nilgiri mountains in southern India. The plant, commonly called a cobra lily and noted for its translucent spathe (a large leaf-like plant part that encloses a cluster of flowers), was then scientifically described in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Naturalists in India have rediscovered a rare flowering plant — Arisaema translucens — after nearly 80 years. Botanist Edward Barnes first collected this plant in 1932 from the Nilgiri mountains in southern India. The plant, commonly called a cobra lily and noted for its translucent spathe (a large leaf-like plant part that encloses a cluster of flowers), was then scientifically described in 1933. Since then, there have been no confirmed records of this species. Intrigued by the plant’s record, dentist and naturalist Tarun Chhabra began combing the Nilgiris for Arisaema translucens. He searched for the plant year after year, and finally in 2009, chanced upon several flowering Arisaema translucens within a small patch of shola forest — a mosaic of grassland and stunted evergreen tree species — within the Nilgiris. “It felt unbelievable to finally see this plant. It looks beautiful,” Chhabra said. Arisaema translucens has a unique translucent spathe not recorded in other Arisaema species. Photo by Tarun Chhabra. Botanist and co-author K.M. Prabhukumar of the Centre for Medicinal Plants Research in Kerala, who collected specimens of these plants in 2016, added that no other Arisaema species has such translucent spathe, making this species unique. The team also collected specimens of another rare cobra lily species, Arisaema tuberculatum from the Nilgiris. Together with scientists K.M. Prabhukumar, Indira Balachandran and others, Chhabra then described the two species in a new study published in Phytotaxa. Both species are believed to be found only in southern India. Many species of Arisaema, such as the Japanese A. heterocephalum, are prized for their beauty and threatened by illegal collection. The researchers say that A. translucens could also face a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2017/11/extremely-rare-cobra-lily-rediscovered-within-the-nilgiris/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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