[Book review] Indian environmental history for young adults
In 1949, George Orwell published his dystopian view of what the world would be in 1984 in his novel by the same name. For India, 1984 was a disturbing year,…
[Commentary] Antelopes in my backyard
We had walked only a few hundred meters from our house when a four-horned antelope broke cover from a tiny bush and darted toward the distant thicket of trees. Its…
Climate adaptive and saline water-resistant Pokkali rice could be the variety of the future
When Super Cyclone Amphan hit 24 South Parganas district of West Bengal in May last year, it broke embankments, allowing seawater to directly enter the rice fields destroying the crop.…
Editor’s review of 2020: Virus, controversies, wildlife, transitions and wetlands
The first case of COVID-19 infection was officially reported in India in January 2020 from Thrissur in Kerala. In December 2020, a 90-year-old Britisher became the world’s first person to…
Building up carbon sinks in northeast India’s shifting cultivation landscape
Chestnut and olive trees that occur naturally in the wild in Manipur have the potential to speed up fallow regrowth in shifting cultivation (jhum) sites and enhance carbon sinks as…
Goa’s iron ore mining stuck at a crossroad
In less than 100 days, in February 2021, it will be three years since India’s apex court stopped iron ore mining in Goa. The state is yet to find a…
[Commentary] Conflicts – historical perspectives and present day dilemma
The past few years have witnessed an upswing of human-wildlife conflicts throughout the country. India is never complete without her complement of animals – domestic, wild, and mythical. From time…
Bauxite mining threatens India’s lone wolf sanctuary and an interstate river
The quest for bauxite in the bordering areas of Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand poses a threat to the future of the Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary, which is India’s only protected area for wolves, besides…
Environmental issues in agriculture a silent reason behind farmers’ protests
Farmers camping at the borders of India’s national capital have refused to budge until new farm laws recently brought in by the Indian government are repealed and they have an…
[Commentary] A microbial spray could be the game changer against crop residue burning
Pusa Decomposer, a microbial spray, developed by the Microbiology Division of the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), Delhi, is the harbinger of hope for an end to paddy residue burning…
