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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/wetlands/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>A fertile landscape at the crossroads of ecology and development [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Aug 2026 15:47:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C.P. Rajendran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/03125249/4670487709_c95df8f47d_4k-scaled-e1785742237892-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39805</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Fish, Fishing, Floods, Lakes, Monsoons, Pollution, Sea Level Rise, Waste management, Water, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Kuttanad region of Kerala, often celebrated as the &#8220;rice bowl&#8221; of the state, is a landscape of profound beauty and immense ecological significance. Yet, its existence is a delicate balancing act, a testament to both the generative power of nature and the often-destructive ambition of human intervention. This intricate wetland system, a mosaic of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Kuttanad region of Kerala, often celebrated as the &#8220;rice bowl&#8221; of the state, is a landscape of profound beauty and immense ecological significance. Yet, its existence is a delicate balancing act, a testament to both the generative power of nature and the often-destructive ambition of human intervention. This intricate wetland system, a mosaic of lush green paddy fields, labyrinthine canals, and the vast expanse of Vembanad lake, is a geographical marvel that is simultaneously a victim of its own fertility and the relentless pressures of modernisation. Kuttanad is world-renowned for its below-sea-level paddy cultivation and unique brackish-water ecosystem. Alongside this remarkable agricultural practice, the region&#8217;s brackish-water ecosystem supports a thriving inland fisheries sector, with the Vembanad estuary serving as a critical nursery for numerous fish and prawn species. Together, these intertwined livelihoods — agriculture and fisheries — form the economic and cultural backbone of Kuttanad. So distinctive and globally significant is this integrated farming system that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has recognised it as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS), placing Kuttanad alongside other iconic agricultural landscapes like the terraced rice fields of the Philippines and the saffron fields of Kashmir. Geologically speaking, Kuttanad is a young and dynamic landscape. In the distant past, this region formed part of the shallow coastal shelf of the Arabian Sea. Over millennia, the powerful rivers originating in the Western Ghats, chiefly the Pampa, Achankovil, and Manimala, carried massive loads of silt and alluvium from the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A newly-described fish sheds light on a biodiversity blind spot</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-newly-described-fish-sheds-light-on-a-biodiversity-blind-spot/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-newly-described-fish-sheds-light-on-a-biodiversity-blind-spot/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jul 2026 10:42:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Monish Upadhyay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freshwater]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/31003452/Image-2-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39744</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Nagaland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Fish, Forests, Himalayas, New species, Rivers, Water, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new catfish species, Pseudecheneis likimroensis, has been described from India&#8217;s north-eastern state of Nagaland. The species, named after the fast-flowing Likimro river, from which specimens have been collected so far, was described in the Journal of Ichthyology. The discovery took place unexpectedly when a research team was in the region to survey fish fauna [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new catfish species, Pseudecheneis likimroensis, has been described from India&#8217;s north-eastern state of Nagaland. The species, named after the fast-flowing Likimro river, from which specimens have been collected so far, was described in the Journal of Ichthyology. The discovery took place unexpectedly when a research team was in the region to survey fish fauna in Nagaland’s Kiphire district, said Limatemjen, co-author of the paper on the new species. Kiphire is a remote district, situated in the eastern part of the state and lies along the India-Myanmar border. “First we had to travel from Kohima to Kiphire, covering a distance of around 100 km. However, the journey takes much longer due to difficult road conditions,” Limatemjen, a professor of Zoology and Dean of Sciences at Kohima Science College, told Mongabay-India. After reaching Kiphire, the team took another four-hour journey to Likimro river where they walked yet another hour to reach the designated sampling site. Characteristic of mountain streams, the sampling site is torrential in nature and is surrounded by steep valleys. Around five specimens of Pseudecheneis likimroensis were collected by the team during the survey in October 2024. Although initially surprised by the unusual catch, found at an elevation of 446 m above sea level, it was only after bringing the specimens to the laboratory and running detailed examinations did the team realise they had an undescribed species at hand. A Pseudecheneis likimroensis specimen found in the fast flowing Likimro river in Nagaland in 2024. The species was described in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-newly-described-fish-sheds-light-on-a-biodiversity-blind-spot/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-newly-described-fish-sheds-light-on-a-biodiversity-blind-spot/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Fishers, naturalists worry about the impacts of turning a coastal wetland into a reservoir</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-coastal-wetland-could-soon-become-a-reservoir-to-meet-a-citys-water-demand/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-coastal-wetland-could-soon-become-a-reservoir-to-meet-a-citys-water-demand/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Jul 2026 17:18:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Smitha T.K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wetlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wetlands]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/13161843/4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39239</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Coast, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Fishing, Floods, Habitat Loss, Lakes, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Narayanan R. stood on the muddy bund of the Great Salt Lake, watching a group of flamingoes pick their way across the shallows. He remembered standing in the same spot as a 10-year-old, knee-deep in water — the day his father showed him how to fish. &#8220;The flamingoes may not come next season,” he said. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Narayanan R. stood on the muddy bund of the Great Salt Lake, watching a group of flamingoes pick their way across the shallows. He remembered standing in the same spot as a 10-year-old, knee-deep in water — the day his father showed him how to fish. &#8220;The flamingoes may not come next season,” he said. “These pools will dry soon. A few hundred metres away, Gowriamma waded through the shallow waters of the lake, her fingers sifting through the mud for shrimp. “Everything depends on these small pools. We know this water through the mud and the thorns.&#8221; Located between Nemmeli and Kovalam in Chennai, the Great Salt Lake also known as Kovalam-Nemmeli backwaters, is a coastal wetland that spans 5,000 acres. The Tamil Nadu government plans to convert this coastal wetland into Chennai’s sixth drinking water reservoir: the Mamallan reservoir. Chennai currently supplies between 700 and 800 million litres per day (MLD) of water. The demand already exceeds 1,100 MLD and is projected to cross 2,500 MLD by 2035, according to the project&#8217;s environmental impact assessment (EIA). The Mamallan reservoir aims to supply 170 MLD for the city’s needs. The reservoir is designed to store 1.65 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) in a single filling and an annual storage of 2.25 TMC. However, for Narayanan, Gowriamma and many fishing families in the area, losing the Great Salt Lake means losing the only world they have ever known. “Who are we to change the contours drawn by nature?” Narayanan asks.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-coastal-wetland-could-soon-become-a-reservoir-to-meet-a-citys-water-demand/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-coastal-wetland-could-soon-become-a-reservoir-to-meet-a-citys-water-demand/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Proposed solar project in India&#8217;s largest grassland sparks conservation concerns</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/proposed-solar-project-in-indias-largest-grassland-sparks-conservation-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/proposed-solar-project-in-indias-largest-grassland-sparks-conservation-concerns/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jul 2026 16:27:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ronak Gajjar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramsar site]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramsar sites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/08102058/009-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39076</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Community based conservation, Conservation, Grasslands, Indigenous Peoples, Lakes, Renewable Energy, Thar Desert, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Banni grasslands of Kachchh represent one of the most unique, complex, and fragile ecological mosaics in the Indian subcontinent. For centuries, this vast expanse in the western state of Gujarat has been shaped by the harmonious coexistence of diverse wildlife and the Maldharis, a traditional pastoralist community. The region gained greater conservation recognition earlier [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Banni grasslands of Kachchh represent one of the most unique, complex, and fragile ecological mosaics in the Indian subcontinent. For centuries, this vast expanse in the western state of Gujarat has been shaped by the harmonious coexistence of diverse wildlife and the Maldharis, a traditional pastoralist community. The region gained greater conservation recognition earlier this year when its Chhari Dhandh wetland was designated as a Ramsar site in January, making it Kachchh&#8217;s first and Gujarat&#8217;s fifth Ramsar site, highlighting the wetland&#8217;s critical biodiversity. However, a proposed solar power plant near the wetland has sparked concerns over its ecological impact and triggered opposition from local communities. The solar power plant, proposed by the NTPC Renewable Energy Limited, will be spread over 4,500-acres as per the claim in the notice published by the Fulay Juth (group) gram panchayat in the newspaper on May 12. Documents accessed by Mongabay-India reveal that the timeline for securing the required No Objection Certificates (NOCs) was initiated in 2024. According to local conservationists and a forest official, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity as they have been instructed to not speak to the media, the project has now begun active groundwork, with site surveys, fencing installation, and the management of Prosopis juliflora underway. However, conservationists, ecologists, wildlife photographers, and local pastoralists fear that the project will cause irreversible damage to the ecology of Chhari Dhandh wetland. A herder with camels in the lush grasslands bordering the Chhari Dhandh wetland in Kachchh, Gujarat, which received&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/proposed-solar-project-in-indias-largest-grassland-sparks-conservation-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/proposed-solar-project-in-indias-largest-grassland-sparks-conservation-concerns/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Warming lake threatens fish habitats and the wetland economy</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/warming-lake-threatens-fish-habitats-and-the-wetland-economy/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/warming-lake-threatens-fish-habitats-and-the-wetland-economy/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jul 2026 13:34:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Barasha Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[global warming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Loktak Lake]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/07121938/Fishing-community-in-Loktak-Lake.-PC-R.K.-Neetu-Sana-1-scaled-e1783407009209-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39035</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Manipur]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Fish, Impacts of Climate Change, Lakes, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Loktak lake is northeast India’s largest freshwater wetland and is the ecological heart of Manipur. The lake spans about 287 square kilometres, about half the size of the capital Imphal, and is already under growing stress from pollution, altered hydrology and catchment degradation. Now, a new study warns that climate change could further reduce the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Loktak lake is northeast India’s largest freshwater wetland and is the ecological heart of Manipur. The lake spans about 287 square kilometres, about half the size of the capital Imphal, and is already under growing stress from pollution, altered hydrology and catchment degradation. Now, a new study warns that climate change could further reduce the fish habitat that sustains livelihoods and food systems. The study published in the journal Ecological Indicators finds that rising temperatures and shifting monsoon patterns could reduce habitat suitability for native fish species. Using predictive methods, researchers have mapped out how a changing climate will fundamentally alter the lake’s water depth, temperature, and oxygen levels. Loktak is an indelible part of the Manipuri identity — lives, lore, legends, history, and aquatic ecosystems. It was designated a Ramsar site in 1990, and made its way into the Montreux Record, a register of wetlands that face significant ecological threats, in 1993. Loktak in Manipur is northeast India’s largest freshwater wetland. Amidst growing stress from pollution, altered hydrology and catchment degradation, a new study warns that climate change could further impact fish habitat that sustain livelihoods and food systems. Image by zehawk via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Fish habitat under threat &#8220;We wanted to gauge the health of the entire lake,” says Vicky Anand, lead author of the study. “Fish are considered the most sensitive indicator of a water body’s health. We bypassed harder pollution-tolerant fish that can survive anywhere, choosing instead the rohu (Labeo rohita), an indigenous carp,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/warming-lake-threatens-fish-habitats-and-the-wetland-economy/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/warming-lake-threatens-fish-habitats-and-the-wetland-economy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Scientists test turning aquatic weeds into liquid fertilisers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientists-test-turning-aquatic-weeds-into-liquid-fertilisers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientists-test-turning-aquatic-weeds-into-liquid-fertilisers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jul 2026 11:59:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hirra Azmat]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organic farming]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/07104509/retiredlife-scaled-e1783401379419-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39022</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Himalayas, Lakes, Natural Resources, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Plants, Positive Environmental, Sustainability, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The uncontrolled growth of aquatic plants has become a major environmental challenge in Dal lake, an important freshwater lake in the Kashmir Himalaya. A new study has tested a way to convert these excess plants into fermented liquid fertilisers, offering a potential solution to manage weed overgrowth while producing a useful agricultural input. Dal, a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The uncontrolled growth of aquatic plants has become a major environmental challenge in Dal lake, an important freshwater lake in the Kashmir Himalaya. A new study has tested a way to convert these excess plants into fermented liquid fertilisers, offering a potential solution to manage weed overgrowth while producing a useful agricultural input. Dal, a culturally and ecologically important lake in Kashmir, has been showing visible symptoms of eutrophication, with runoff from surrounding areas, untreated sewage, and other pollutants adding excess nutrients to the lake and leading to the rapid growth of aquatic plants. While aquatic vegetation can be useful as food, medicine, and fodder, overgrowth disrupts water quality, alters ecohydrology, and threatens native biodiversity. “While the overgrowth of aquatic plants and algae blooms follows a seasonal cycle, the underlying decline in water quality is palpable year-round. We’ve seen the lake struggle under the weight of these excess nutrients, which is exactly why we are focused on repurposing that biomass into something useful for our land,” Kowsar Majid, one of the study authors and a professor in the department of chemistry at National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, told Mongabay-India. The study was published in ACS Sustainable Resource Management journal in March 2026. The findings are a proof of concept, with further studies needed to assess costs, large-scale feasibility and regulatory approval before the approach can be adopted widely. Majid explains that most previous work on Dal lake biomass has focused on solid soil amendments such as compost, vermicompost or hydrochar.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/scientists-test-turning-aquatic-weeds-into-liquid-fertilisers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Major mugger habitats lie outside protected areas</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/study-finds-major-mugger-habitats-lie-outside-protected-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/study-finds-major-mugger-habitats-lie-outside-protected-areas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jul 2026 13:11:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[critical habitat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crocodiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[muggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wetlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/06111444/A-local-fisherman-and-a-mugger_-the-Kollidam-River_-Jason-Dominic-Gerar-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39004</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Dams, Habitat Loss, Reptiles, Rivers, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From the rocky gorges of Hogenakkal to the coastal marshes of Muthupet, the mugger crocodile has long inhabited the rivers, reservoirs and wetlands of the Kaveri river basin in southern India. A new study estimated that while there are about 2,209 square kilometres of potentially suitable mugger habitat in the river basin, only about 38% [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From the rocky gorges of Hogenakkal to the coastal marshes of Muthupet, the mugger crocodile has long inhabited the rivers, reservoirs and wetlands of the Kaveri river basin in southern India. A new study estimated that while there are about 2,209 square kilometres of potentially suitable mugger habitat in the river basin, only about 38% falls within the existing protected area network, leaving much of the species&#8217; habitat exposed to human pressures. The study, published in the journal Ecological Applications, assesses mugger habitat across the entire Kaveri (Cauvery) river basin which stretches across parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and covers about 81,155 sq. km. in southern India. &#8220;The number that stays with me is 38%. Only 38% of the habitat our model identified as potentially suitable for muggers falls within the existing protected area network. That means roughly six in every ten hectares of meaningful mugger habitat is outside any formal protection, unmanaged, unmonitored, and subject to the full range of human pressures,&#8221; says co-author Nikhil Whitaker, the Research Director at Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology. Building a basin-wide picture The mugger is one of India&#8217;s three native crocodilian species and is found in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and marshes across much of the subcontinent. Although populations have been studied in river systems such as the Moyar, Kabini and Amaravati, researchers say conservation planning has lacked a basin-wide understanding of where suitable habitat occurs and what factors shape its distribution. “The CRB (Cauvery River Basin) has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/study-finds-major-mugger-habitats-lie-outside-protected-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/study-finds-major-mugger-habitats-lie-outside-protected-areas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>A scientist’s search for dragons and damsels [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-scientists-search-for-dragons-and-damsels-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-scientists-search-for-dragons-and-damsels-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 May 2026 12:49:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[damselflies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dragonflies]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/28000548/Crimson-Marsh-Glider-banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38393</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Citizen science, Conservation, Ecology, Insects, Interviews, People, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“One third of India’s dragonflies likely extinct”, “Scientists sound alarm”, “35% drop in populations”. These were some of the headlines in the media over the last month, following the publication of the first-ever comprehensive study on odonates in the Western Ghats. Odonates are a group of predatory flying insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies. A [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“One third of India’s dragonflies likely extinct”, “Scientists sound alarm”, “35% drop in populations”. These were some of the headlines in the media over the last month, following the publication of the first-ever comprehensive study on odonates in the Western Ghats. Odonates are a group of predatory flying insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies. A taxon that otherwise rarely gets any press coverage was suddenly speculated to be going extinct. Pankaj Koparde, who leads the Chatur Ullu Lab in Pune, Maharashtra, which — as the name suggests — works on dragonflies (chatur in Marathi) and owls (ullu in Hindi), is the lead author of the paper. He is also an assistant professor at the MIT World Peace University in Pune. Mongabay-India met the researcher, who has extensively worked on this lesser-known taxon over the last decade and a half, to learn more about odonates and their conservation status in the subcontinent. In this interview, edited for clarity and length, Koparde introduces us to the fascinating world of dragonflies and damselflies, the growing citizen-science movement behind these tiny hunters, and what lies ahead for this understudied taxon. Pankaj Koparde leads the Chatur Ullu Lab in Pune and is an assistant professor at the MIT World Peace University. He has extensively studied Odonates, a group of predatory flying insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies, and their conservation status. Image courtesy of Chatur Ullu Lab. The Chatur Ullu Lab team, which studies dragonflies and owls in Pune. Image courtesy of Chatur Ullu Lab.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-scientists-search-for-dragons-and-damsels-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-scientists-search-for-dragons-and-damsels-interview/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The slow exit of foraging in urban blue spaces</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-slow-exit-of-foraging-in-urban-blue-spaces/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-slow-exit-of-foraging-in-urban-blue-spaces/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 May 2026 14:27:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jyotsnika Tiwari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[foraging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fruits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[greens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban lakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild foods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild greens]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/22122945/East-Kolkata-Wetlands-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38313</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Ecosystem services, Food, Plants, Trees, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It is 4 a.m. at the East Kolkata Wetlands. The city has not yet woken up, but a woman has already arrived at the lake&#8217;s edge. She wades in and starts collecting crabs, mussels, and fish, moving with the ease of someone who has done this many times. Once it is done, she changes into [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It is 4 a.m. at the East Kolkata Wetlands. The city has not yet woken up, but a woman has already arrived at the lake&#8217;s edge. She wades in and starts collecting crabs, mussels, and fish, moving with the ease of someone who has done this many times. Once it is done, she changes into dry clothes and is off to work as a domestic help in one of the new lake-view apartment buildings nearby. Before her shift begins, she will sell some of what she has collected, and cook the rest in the evening, with the women in her neighbourhood. Sukanya Basu, researcher and faculty at Azim Premji University, saw this woman and others like her across lakes and rivers in Kolkata, Kochi, Bengaluru and Mumbai during months of fieldwork for her study, Widespread Practices and Sustainability Benefits of Foraging in Urban Blue Spaces of India, published in Nature Cities journal, conducted with colleagues Brenda Maria Zoderer, Harini Nagendra, Peter H. Verburg and Tobias Plieninger. The study surveyed over 1,200 people (799 women and 391 men) who used these urban water bodies or blue spaces from March to September in 2023 and found that more than half of them frequently collected edibles from lakes, rivers and wetlands for personal consumption, selling, sharing and collective cooking. And yet, this practice is almost entirely absent from policy, planning and public imagination. Urban water bodies are valued as recreational amenities, ecological assets and for flood management, but never as food systems, which&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-slow-exit-of-foraging-in-urban-blue-spaces/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-slow-exit-of-foraging-in-urban-blue-spaces/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A salt marsh through time [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-salt-marsh-through-time-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-salt-marsh-through-time-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 May 2026 16:41:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C.P. Rajendran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Salt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[salt pans]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/14125046/Asiatic_Wild_Ass_at_sunset-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38174</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Ecology, Marshlands, Oceans, Rivers, Thar Desert, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Have you ever heard of a desert that disappears every year, only to return? Rann of Kutch is a landscape where a shallow sea floods the land for a few months each monsoon. During the monsoons, tidal currents from the Gulf of Kutch flow onto this white desert, transforming it into an inland sea. As [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Have you ever heard of a desert that disappears every year, only to return? Rann of Kutch is a landscape where a shallow sea floods the land for a few months each monsoon. During the monsoons, tidal currents from the Gulf of Kutch flow onto this white desert, transforming it into an inland sea. As the monsoon retreats, the waters recede, leaving behind an endless stretch of snowy flats. Migratory birds like flamingos descend upon the newly formed lake, where they feed on fish and hatch their young on the fringes of the marshes, which then turn green. But this doesn’t last forever. Come summer, the water recedes, the earth dries, and you see a land that stretches to the horizon — snow white, with shiny crystals of salt. This is the Rann of Kutch in the western Indian state of Gujarat, where a desert changes its appearance with the seasons, year after year. The features are not permanent; they come and go. Derived from Hindi, rann means salt marsh, and Kutch refers to an alternately wet and dry place. This large area of salt marshes, called the Rann of Kutch (also spelt Kachchh), stretches across the border between India and Pakistan. Much of it lies in the Kutch district of Gujarat and extends into Sindh in Pakistan. Occupying around 26,000 square kilometres and extending east to west, the Rann of Kutch is divided into the Great Rann and the Little Rann. This &#8220;marsh of alluvium&#8221; is home to India&#8217;s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-salt-marsh-through-time-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Overlooked urban springs can strengthen water security in Himalayan cities [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 May 2026 12:57:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Niharika BindalSailendra Dewan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drought]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[droughts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[piped water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Springs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban area]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban water crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wetlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/11095320/Photo_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38093</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Himalayas, Mountains, Water, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the winter between November 2025 and February 2026, Gangtok faced a crisis it could not ignore. After September 2025, rainfall almost completely stopped, and the city’s main water source, the Ratey Chu River, saw its discharge drop by nearly 50%. The Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Sikkim, issued a public notification on February [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the winter between November 2025 and February 2026, Gangtok faced a crisis it could not ignore. After September 2025, rainfall almost completely stopped, and the city’s main water source, the Ratey Chu River, saw its discharge drop by nearly 50%. The Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Sikkim, issued a public notification on February 11, 2026, rationing municipal water to once a day and issuing repeated warnings against wasting water. Five months later in April 2026, the crisis, though somewhat resolved, still persists. Gangtok’s centralised water system has always been vulnerable. When monsoon landslides damage intake pipelines or winter droughts shrink rivers, supply collapses quickly. Additionally, Gangtok’s water system was under increasing strain due to population growth, rising tourist inflow, and rapid urban expansion. Yet as the formal water infrastructure struggles, another water network has quietly supported the residents of Gangtok. Gangtok’s freshwater springs (locally known as dharas), continue to function as a parallel source of water. Far from being used only during crises, these springs remain part of everyday urban life. Emerging from underground aquifer networks beneath the town, these springs form an invisible yet resilient water system that sustains residents long before and long after crises emerge. A natural spring or dhara in Bojoghari, Gangtok, harnessed through a plastic pipe and traditional bamboo outlet that have been fitted together. Image by Niharika Bindal. A city-wide assessment conducted by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment across all 19 municipal wards identified 56 springs in Gangtok.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>Kaziranga hosts a healthy population of fishing cats, finds survey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 14:08:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fishing cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05134354/fishing-cat-with-kitten-scaled-e1777969181679-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38038</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Forests, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wetlands, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – International Fishing Cat Day. “This is one of the highest numbers in the freshwater floodplain, which reinstates KNP as one of its finest habitats. It is important for us to know that these are good habitats for fishing cats,” Sonali Ghosh, Director, Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, tells Mongabay-India. Analysing camera trap images The survey drew from bycatch data through camera traps originally set up to monitor tigers. “It is not possible to conduct a separate survey for every species found in KNP, as there are logistical and time constraints. We had to study more than 14 lakh images from the camera traps,” says Ghosh. Analysing these images presented some challenges, says Tiasa Adhya, a wildlife biologist and one of the co-founders of the Fishing Cat Project. “If the weather is foggy, you won&#8217;t get good images. If it is raining, that’s a problem too. Sometimes the animal comes too near the trap, while sometimes only a portion of the body is visible,” she says. As the camera-trap grid was originally designed for larger felids, wildlife officials believe that the number 57 could be an undercount. While this limitation creates uncertainty, it also establishes&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Riverine heatwaves are on the rise</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 May 2026 15:07:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat waves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwaves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[river]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[temperature rise]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/04125520/Final_days_of_river_Tunga_Shimoga_Summer_in_India-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38014</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Decoding Heat]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Rivers and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[River water temperatures have come under the scanner in several global studies as researchers raise alarm bells about the increase in heatwaves across riverine ecosystems. Riverine heatwaves are defined as periods where daily mean river water temperatures exceed the 90th percentile threshold of the locally defined and seasonally varying river temperatures, for at least five [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[River water temperatures have come under the scanner in several global studies as researchers raise alarm bells about the increase in heatwaves across riverine ecosystems. Riverine heatwaves are defined as periods where daily mean river water temperatures exceed the 90th percentile threshold of the locally defined and seasonally varying river temperatures, for at least five consecutive days. Put simply, when river temperatures are higher than 90% of its past recorded observations for that location and time of the year, it constitutes a heatwave. An increase in temperatures for shorter duration is considered a heat spike. In a modelling study published earlier this year, researchers revealed that between 1976 and 2005, rivers globally experienced, on average, 2.19 heatwave events per year. The intensity and duration of riverine heatwaves have increased in this time at a rate of 0.02°C per decade and 0.09 weeks per decade, respectively. Under the high climate emissions scenario, projections reveal a 95-fold increase in the duration of riverine heatwaves by the end of the 21st century. The study also predicts that in India, more than 50% of the Ganges will experience year-round heatwaves under the high emissions scenario by the 2090s. Not only will this cause widespread damage to the ecosystem itself, the population exposure to heatwaves in the Ganges (impacts on drinking water, agriculture, and fisheries) will also be the highest in the world. The Ganga River as seen from Varanasi. A recent study of river heatwaves in India predicts that more than 50% of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/riverine-heatwaves-are-on-the-rise/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Ramsar wetland tag needs to be followed up with sustained management, say experts</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ramsar-wetland-tag-needs-to-be-followed-up-with-sustained-management-say-experts/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ramsar-wetland-tag-needs-to-be-followed-up-with-sustained-management-say-experts/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Apr 2026 11:45:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freshwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[migratory birds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramsar site]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramsar sites]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waterbirds]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/24094121/Image_5_Sarus_cranes-e1777004765814-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37855</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Lakes, Water, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, has been designated a Ramsar site, taking India’s total number of wetlands of international importance to 99 and Uttar Pradesh’s tally to 12. The 40-hectare freshwater wetland in the Upper Gangetic Plain that supports 249 bird species, including 62 water bird and wetland-dependent species. The perennial water [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, has been designated a Ramsar site, taking India’s total number of wetlands of international importance to 99 and Uttar Pradesh’s tally to 12. The 40-hectare freshwater wetland in the Upper Gangetic Plain that supports 249 bird species, including 62 water bird and wetland-dependent species. The perennial water body regularly hosts more than 20,000 water birds in peak winter and serves as a refuge during dry months, supporting vulnerable species such as sarus crane, common pochard, greater spotted eagle and endangered freshwater turtles. The Ramsar site is characterised by a mosaic of wetlands, grasslands, forests and agriculture lands. The Ramsar official information sheet describes the wetland’s role in groundwater recharge, irrigation support, nature tourism, education and research, while also noting that it is facing pressures from invasive alien species, excess heat and noise, temperature extremes and grazing. The management plan lists several on-ground measures already proposed or taken at the site, including mounds for bird resting and nesting, a nature trail, two watchtowers, weed removal in some areas, afforestation, awareness drives and involvement of local villagers in conservation. India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, in a press release, that Shekha Jheel acts as “a crucial stopover on the Central Asian Flyway,” providing habitat for migratory birds such as the bar-headed goose, painted stork and various ducks during winter. The Ramsar dossier says Shekha Jheel supports several species of higher conservation concern, including the vulnerable sarus crane, common pochard, greater spotted eagle and river&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/ramsar-wetland-tag-needs-to-be-followed-up-with-sustained-management-say-experts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The last Indian town before Bhutan is reeling under waste dumped on its river banks</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/the-last-indian-town-before-bhutan-is-reeling-under-waste-dumped-on-its-river-banks/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/the-last-indian-town-before-bhutan-is-reeling-under-waste-dumped-on-its-river-banks/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Mar 2026 18:10:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Chandrani Sinha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industrial waste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waste]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/25135914/822191f9-5c93-451f-9d73-c3f88dc8bc05-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37461</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Environmental Crime, Health impacts, Plastic, Pollution, Rivers, Waste management, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Dark grey smoke curls above the Torsa riverbank in Jaigaon, a crowded border town of West Bengal, India, separating India and Bhutan. Plastic waste, medical refuse, construction debris and household waste lie scattered across the river bed and cows and dogs forage through the garbage. In January, an Instagram reel of this area drew a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Dark grey smoke curls above the Torsa riverbank in Jaigaon, a crowded border town of West Bengal, India, separating India and Bhutan. Plastic waste, medical refuse, construction debris and household waste lie scattered across the river bed and cows and dogs forage through the garbage. In January, an Instagram reel of this area drew a long-ignored environmental crisis into public notice. In it, a young content creator who goes by the name Rock Lama on Instagram, stood before the smouldering waste, appealing to the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for immediate intervention to stop what he describes as the routine illegal dumping of the town’s waste along the river. The video by the 24-year-old Jaigaon resident, spread widely across social media platforms, sparking discussions about rural waste management, governance, environmental negligence, and the growing waste crisis in smaller towns and Panchayat areas where populations have increased with time and waste has increased proportionately, without infrastructure to manage it. A border town struggles under its own waste Jaigaon is a densely populated commercial town with approximately 100,000 residents and serves as a crucial gateway between India and Bhutan. Its markets bustle with cross-border trade, tourism, and transport activity. Yet, beneath this economic vibrancy lies an escalating environmental problem of riverside pollution amplified by rapid urban growth without corresponding civic infrastructure to manage it. According to estimates by the Central Pollution Control Board, small and medium-sized towns like Jaigaon generate about 30-40 tonnes of solid waste daily. The Himalayan Torsa River&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/the-last-indian-town-before-bhutan-is-reeling-under-waste-dumped-on-its-river-banks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>New global report flags risks to migratory freshwater fish in India’s rivers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-global-report-flags-risks-to-migratory-freshwater-fish-in-indias-rivers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-global-report-flags-risks-to-migratory-freshwater-fish-in-indias-rivers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Mar 2026 18:00:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishermen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freshwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/24133928/goonch-underwater-1-april-21-2010-scaled-e1774340324400-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37430</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Ecology, Fish, Himalayas, Migration, Oceans, Rivers, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Freshwater fishes are among the “most imperilled vertebrates”, according to a new global assessment prepared for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), which lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range. The Global Assessment of Migratory Freshwater Fishes report 2025 notes that many migratory [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Freshwater fishes are among the “most imperilled vertebrates”, according to a new global assessment prepared for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), which lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range. The Global Assessment of Migratory Freshwater Fishes report 2025 notes that many migratory freshwater species are declining because of “loss of connectivity, flow alteration, habitat degradation, exploitation, pollution, and interacting pressures across borders.” Out of 349 migratory freshwater fish that may qualify for protection under the CMS, only 24 are currently listed — leaving 325 still without legal protection, of which about 205 concentrated in Asia. The report identifies the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system as one of the priority regions, pointing to its “high biomass of migrants” and threats from “dams and hydropeaking”, marking it as a region where CMS cooperation is both “necessary and feasible.” For India, this warning comes at a time when rivers are already fragmented by dams, barrages and altered flows, raising questions about whether migratory fish and river-dependent communities are being adequately considered in river planning. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals is a legally binding international treaty under the United Nations which provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. CMS brings together countries through which migratory animals pass or that have jurisdiction over a geographical area a migratory species inhabits, crosses, or overflies. The Brahmaputra river. Freshwater fish are among the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-global-report-flags-risks-to-migratory-freshwater-fish-in-indias-rivers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Traditional boatmen washed out by waterways infrastructure and tourism</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/traditional-boatmen-washed-out-by-waterways-infrastructure-and-tourism/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/traditional-boatmen-washed-out-by-waterways-infrastructure-and-tourism/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Mar 2026 17:36:27 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rahul Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transport]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/17154548/Varanasi-MMT-main-Building-2-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37310</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environment, Environmental Politics, Industry, Pollution, Rivers, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A multi-modal terminal (MMT) has been constructed on the banks of the Ganga river in Ramnagar, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, under the National Waterways Project, a venture of the central government. As part of this project, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways also approved the construction of a freight village in Milkipur in December 2018, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A multi-modal terminal (MMT) has been constructed on the banks of the Ganga river in Ramnagar, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, under the National Waterways Project, a venture of the central government. As part of this project, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways also approved the construction of a freight village in Milkipur in December 2018, with a budget of ₹156 crore and the foundation stone for it was laid on September 2025. The village is to be developed on approximately 100 acres of land as a cargo hub. In a report submitted by the Parliamentary Standing Committee in the Rajya Sabha in December 2024, the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shripad Naik stated that the freight village would facilitate the shift of cargo from rail and road to waterways. The land is to be acquired from villages in Varanasi and surrounding districts by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). However, this land largely belongs to the Mallah community which is native to the region. They claim that this land is being acquired from them at very low prices, and that the project will adversely impact their long-standing traditional livelihoods as boatmen of the Ganga. Concerns related to land acquisition The announcement of the freight village has left 43-year-old Chhaya Devi worried for her future. She is a resident of Tahirpur village in Mughalsarai tehsil of Chandauli district, which is adjacent to Varanasi. “We will not give our land to the port (IWAI) to build the freight village. If&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/traditional-boatmen-washed-out-by-waterways-infrastructure-and-tourism/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Community-led water conservation revives groundwater</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/community-led-water-conservation-revives-groundwater/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/community-led-water-conservation-revives-groundwater/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Feb 2026 13:31:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anjana V.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[groundwater recharge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/27105532/3.1.testing-for-microplastic-elements-in-the-well-water-at-Vidhya_s-residence-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37070</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Ecology, Environment, Groundwater, Rivers, Sustainability, Villages, Water, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a January morning in Thuruthikkara, a village in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, 53-year-old Vidhya Manjush stands beside her open well, checking the water level. Unlike in previous years, the water level remains steady. A community-driven push for rainwater harvesting and water testing ensures that the water from Manjush’s roof is filtered and directed into the well, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a January morning in Thuruthikkara, a village in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, 53-year-old Vidhya Manjush stands beside her open well, checking the water level. Unlike in previous years, the water level remains steady. A community-driven push for rainwater harvesting and water testing ensures that the water from Manjush’s roof is filtered and directed into the well, helping recharge groundwater throughout the year. A few years ago, this wasn&#8217;t the case. As soon as the rains would end, groundwater recharge would slow down and the wells in the village would start drying up. The people would have to wait two to three days for a tanker to bring drinking water, Manjush recalls. And even then, it wouldn&#8217;t be potable. &#8220;The water often had black particles. I filtered it through a cloth and boiled it every time,&#8221; she says. The Ernakulam district typically receives very high rainfall, about 3000 mm annually, primarily between March and October. However, in Thuruthikkara, soon after the rains, the wells begin drying up and run dry by January, forcing households to depend on water tankers. To overcome this seasonal dependence on tankers, the village residents set up systems for rainwater harvesting, rainfall tracking and water quality testing, to make better use of the rainfall and reduce their water woes. In 2018, volunteers trained at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) conduct chemical testing on well water in Thuruthikkara. Image by Suresh Thuruthikkara. When the residents came together Thuruthikkara falls under the Mulanthuruthy grama panchayat and is bordered&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/community-led-water-conservation-revives-groundwater/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Reading the Aravallis through maps and law [Analysis]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/reading-the-aravallis-through-maps-and-law-analysis/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/reading-the-aravallis-through-maps-and-law-analysis/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Feb 2026 15:38:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abi T. VanakKripa M.K.Milind BunyanSachin Pernacca Sashidhar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aravallis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat degradation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land management]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/09110022/AP22350157934244-scaled-e1770615046628-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Ecology, Environment, Grasslands, Industry, Land Rights, Mountains, Pollution, Villages, Water, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Across western and northern India, the Aravallis appear in fragments: a rocky ridge at a town’s edge, a grazed grassland, a seasonal stream, a low dune system holding the desert in place. Individually perhaps unremarkable, but together they form one of India’s most important ecological systems: open natural ecosystems (ONEs). Many of these landscapes are [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Across western and northern India, the Aravallis appear in fragments: a rocky ridge at a town’s edge, a grazed grassland, a seasonal stream, a low dune system holding the desert in place. Individually perhaps unremarkable, but together they form one of India’s most important ecological systems: open natural ecosystems (ONEs). Many of these landscapes are also embedded in cultural and religious traditions, encompassing orans, sacred groves, and Vedic river systems such as the holy Saraswati. Yet, this vital geography recently faced an existential threat. On November 20, 2025, the Supreme Court of India adopted a definition proposed by the Central Government that limited the Aravalli ‘Hills’ to those rising more than 100 meters above the surrounding land and the ‘Range’ to two or more such hills located within 500 metres of each other. Though framed as a technical clarification, the rule redraws the landscape by excluding significant terrain from protection. However, the legal tide has since turned. After staying its own order in December 2025, the Court on January 21, 2026 extended the stay further. The Bench directed the Additional Solicitor General and the amicus curiae to suggest names of environmentalists and scientists with expertise in mining and related fields. This would result in a court-supervised expert committee to assist it with ongoing proceedings. The immediate danger may have been put on hold, but the question of implications of the definition remains. A spatial analysis by researchers from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), across&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/reading-the-aravallis-through-maps-and-law-analysis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>July rainfall worsened August floods in Punjab in 2023, says study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/july-rainfall-worsened-august-floods-in-punjab-in-2023-says-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/july-rainfall-worsened-august-floods-in-punjab-in-2023-says-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Jan 2026 16:18:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flooding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural disaster]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/30135856/AP23229171200403-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36668</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Dams, Ecology, Environment, Floods, Human Rights, Impacts of Climate Change, Rivers, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The floods of Punjab in August 2023, were not caused by rainfall during the flood period, but driven by exceptionally high levels of rainfall in the month before, a new analysis tracking the flood’s causes and impacts has found. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Mandi, compared flood events in July and August 2023 in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The floods of Punjab in August 2023, were not caused by rainfall during the flood period, but driven by exceptionally high levels of rainfall in the month before, a new analysis tracking the flood’s causes and impacts has found. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Mandi, compared flood events in July and August 2023 in Punjab, the latter of which turned very severe, inundating 11,927 villages. Over 50 people died in the aftermath of the floods. Specifically, the researchers sought to understand why the floods were so severe despite below average levels of rainfall in August. “We noticed that in July, when there were severe floods in Himachal, there wasn’t as much of an impact downstream in Punjab, and yet the opposite happened in August, which deserved investigation,” said Vivek Gupta, Assistant Professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at IIT-Mandi, and a co-author of the paper. The research examined the meteorological and operational reasons for the flood, as well as its socioeconomic impacts, to arrive at a “multi-scalar assessment” of the flood. The Pong dam, an earth-filled storage and hydroelectric dam on the Beas River, is believed to have worsened the disaster by allowing the reservoir to fill to near maximum levels before increasing outflows too suddenly. The IIT-Mandi study says that the dam&#8217;s flood control measures limited the flood&#8217;s exposure to 205,664 individuals, compared to a &#8220;no control&#8221; scenario where the flood would have affected 367,531 people. The lack of forecasting in the dam operations, however,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/july-rainfall-worsened-august-floods-in-punjab-in-2023-says-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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