Cyclone Tauktae exposes vulnerabilities along India’s west coast
“There were about 25 boats parked in one place. The tide was so high and the wind so powerful that they crashed into one another and broke. And when I…
West Bengal fishermen observe fewer shrimp and fish deaths by pollution this year
Around mid-April, when Siddik Mollah, a fisherman at a village called Boyarmari, located in the district of North 24 Parganas in West Bengal, found that day-by-day shrimps were growing unhindered…
Odisha’s coastal migrants return to where they started
Four years ago, when Minoti Naik of the coastal district of Bhadrak in Odisha, decided to send her 17-year-old son to the “city” for work, it was in hope that…
How Mumbai’s fishers adapted in the lockdown, kept their sales alive
The members of Mumbai’s fishing community, the Koli community, have found a sustainable answer to their economic woes brought forth by the lockdown. The lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra…
With floods and COVID-19, Assam faces a dual threat
Nearly three lakh people in nine districts of Assam have been affected by the season’s ‘first flood’, triggered by cyclone Amphan, wreaking havoc in the state. A phenomenon that ravages…
As captive elephants starve, lockdown brings problematic practice to the fore
In early April this year, a video was being circulated amongst animal rights activists in Karnataka. A mahout spoke to the camera, stating that since the lockdown, his 55-year-old captive…
[Commentary] The environmental impacts of the economic package
In recent weeks, the situation in India was a throwback to two historical events. The sight of millions of internal migrants cycling and using any mode of transport to return…
Anxious farmers in Maharashtra prepare to sow amidst lockdown
In April, amidst several gloomy developments related to COVID-19, there was one announcement that should have brought cheer to many farmers of Maharashtra, especially non-irrigated areas such as Marathwada and…
[Commentary] Post-COVID there is a case for a greener GNP
Even before the upending of the world as we knew it by COVID-19, there had been disquiet for some time over the slowing global economy, in the backdrop of the…
Gap in sampling hampers India’s ecological monitoring in Antarctica
If this summer had gone as planned, Anant Pande would be in his laboratory in the Wildlife Institute of India, in Dehradun, ready to catalogue and analyse samples that he…
An online network emerges during the lockdown connecting farmers directly with customers
A few weeks ago, 22-year-old Dhananjay K.C. was worried that thousands of kilograms of grapes grown at his family’s farmland would go waste as the crop was ready but its…
Lockdown slows wildlife forensics
As India cautiously emerges from an extended lockdown put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), wildlife forensic scientists have flagged concerns over the delay…
[Commentary] A post-lockdown pathway for forest-edge communities of central India
Households living at the edges of India’s forests straddle two ends of India’s spectrum: wild India with its harsh realities for eking an existence from the forest and urban India…
Uttarakhand eyes a part of Rajaji Tiger Reserve for Kumbh
Ignoring one of the most important lessons from the coronavirus pandemic - to let wildlife habitats remain undisturbed - the Uttarakhand government is eyeing to temporarily use at least 778…
Women in slums, stranded migrant workers grapple with water access in Bhubaneswar
One of the crucial guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is obligatory hand hygiene - to wash hands with…
COVID-19 lockdown dents the economy of India’s forest dwellers
Sanjay Kumar Hansda, a member of the Santhal tribe, would usually earn as much as Rs. 25,000 between March and June by collecting and selling minor forest products. However, this…
[Interview] “We really have to find a way to exist with the planet”
Science writer Alan Weisman’s morbidly fascinating The World Without Us (2007) projects events that follow after the sudden disappearance of humans from planet earth. First, the physical infrastructure collapses: skyscrapers crumble,…
Absence of human presence impacting monkey behaviour in Ayodhya
Twenty-nine-year-old Rohit Sharma recalls growing up with monkeys in Ayodhya, the famous pilgrim centre in Uttar Pradesh. The last few weeks though, in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown, he…
Despite COVID lockdown, environment ministry’s expert panels race to clear projects
Even as India is just coming out of a nationwide lockdown due to the novel coronavirus, the environment ministry is considering large scale mining, infrastructure and industrial projects for environment,…
India’s polar missions hit pause
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-associated lockdown has cast its shadow on India’s scientific expeditions to polar regions. The expedition to the Arctic this year is cancelled while as many as…
Special series
Wetland Champions
- [Commentary] India establishes the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia
- [Commentary] Wetland champions: Promise from the grassroots
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter
Environment And Health
- [Commentary] Neglecting household biomedical waste management can lead to adverse environmental effects
- No magic bullets to deal with snakebites
- Six years on, cyclone Ockhi survivors battle lingering mental health impacts
- Gig workers in India are exposed to highly polluted air and carcinogens, finds preliminary study
Almost Famous Species
- Genetic insights of the Kempholey night frog offer better conservation strategies
- Saving India’s only ape, the hoolock gibbon
- [Interview] “Favourable conditions and diet important for ex-situ conservation of wild cats”
- A 100 camera traps to monitor rusty-spotted cats in Keoladeo National Park
Eco Hope
- Green pilgrimage model balances faith and conservation
- [Video] Restoring the perennial Thamirabarani river with people power
- [Interview] Conservation scientist Joli Rumi Borah on integrating traditional knowledge in research
- [Interview] Scientist Ruth DeFries on deforestation: There isn’t one driver, there’s a different context in different places
India's Iconic Landscapes
- [Commentary] Up close and personal with the fragility of the Himalayas
- Studies reveal impact of land use on species diversity in rock outcrops
- Improved tiger numbers come with hidden messages on invasives, habitat connectivity
- Gymnosperms that are critical for coniferous forest health may be steadily declining in response to climate change
Beyond Protected Areas
- Grassland loss threatens endemic birds in Arunachal sanctuary
- Genetic insights of the Kempholey night frog offer better conservation strategies
- Loss of forest cover in Kashmir is pitting a protected animal against the world’s costliest spice
- India following a global trend of forsaking environment protection for “national security,” paper says
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- [Commentary] Erratic weather, altered social dynamics disrupt mahua economy in eastern India
- Horseshoe crab decline sparks urgent conservation plea
- Production of rugra, a nutritious mushroom found in Jharkhand, impacted by weather changes
- [Commentary] Soil degradation in India spells doom for millions
Just Transitions
- [Video] Rooftop solar, an emerging solution to Bihar’s land shortage that’s stalling renewable progress
- India needs to face challenge of funding thermal power plant closure, says new report
- With no primary data on impacts, government approves an oil extraction technique 500 m outside forests
- Climate action not on track to meet Paris Agreement goals, says Global Stocktake report
