Delhi and Haryana’s Aravallis support rich biodiversity and need protection
Amid the densely-packed bustling urban settlements of Delhi and Gurugram, one would expect a jaunt far from the city to catch a glimpse of wildlife. But a new survey of…
Great Nicobar’s protected areas to get near-zero eco-sensitive zones for “holistic development”
Giving weightage to the “holistic development” argument, an expert committee of the environment ministry has recommended a near-negligible eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around Galathea National Park (GNP) in the Great Nicobar…
Genomics offer clues to how forest trees responded to the last Ice Age
Persistent, colder climates in the last Ice Age contributed to limiting the distribution of certain commercially and medicinally-important forest species such as cobra saffron (nagkesar) to smaller forest patches that…
PESA: The wait for reforms on the ground continues even after 25 years
It is the silver jubilee year of the Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 that was passed by the Indian parliament to empower people living in the fifth…
Land use changes are driving Himalayan forest bird loss
Land-use changes in the western Himalayan forests, a global biodiversity hotspot with huge numbers of endemic species, have resulted in a massive decline in forest birds in the region, new…
Beasts that once roamed the Indian subcontinent could hold clues to evolution and extinction
Turn the clock back in time 50,000 years and you would have seen two species of giant prehistoric elephants (Palaeoloxodon namadicus and Stegodon namadicus), a hippopotamus, Hexaprotodon sp., and a…
Grassland burning, clearing imperils birds of Brahmaputra’s river islands
Concerned with the burning of grasslands and felling of trees, 34-year-old Bhabesh Mahanta is helping build a food forest for birds on a chapori (riverine island) near Guwahati in Assam.…
Monitoring rainfall changes in world’s wettest place
An analysis of 119 years of rainfall measurements at different rain gauge stations across northeast India, has revealed a decreasing trend in summer rainfall since 1973, including in rainy Meghalaya,…
Ecological degradation at Narmada’s origin in Amarkantak spells more trouble
Amarkantak, the upper catchment area of the Narmada river in central India, has lost a significant percentage of forests and water bodies to agriculture and settlements in the last four…
India’s mining reforms ignore mining-affected communities
As the debate around the new farm laws rages on, the Indian government has gone ahead and cleared changes in the country's mining laws, to push mineral extraction and production.…
Special series
Wetland champions
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter
- Managing waste to save the wetlands of Himachal Pradesh
- The monks who protect the Bhagajang wetland
Environment and health
- How did a once water-rich village in Goa become entirely dependent on tankers?
- [Explainer] Understanding the science behind avian influenza
- Lack of alternatives force women back to work in stone mines, which are health hazards
- Hardy hideouts: Aquatic insects can forewarn cholera outbreaks
Almost famous species
- New marine flatworm from rare group discovered from the coral atolls of Lakshadweep
- No honey, no hives, but solitary bees have important lives
- Almost Famous species: the wild side of 2020 from forest to backyard
- New tree-spider crab species with purple patches described from Kerala’s mangroves
Iconic india landscapes
- Chilika lake records rise in migratory bird numbers, sees new species too
- [Commentary] Counting bulbuls to conserve the Deccan hillocks and scrub forests
- [Commentary] Isolated pockets of unique wildlife populations of Gujarat need immediate attention
- Hydropower not a very ‘green’ solution in Himachal Pradesh, finds study
Beyond protected areas
- Odisha plans to satellite-tag pangolins to study them better
- [Video] A mugger crocodile on shared space, fear and future
- Avian flu in India brings forth environmental, animal and human health linkages
- Radio telemetry signals new ways to study snakes
Conserving agrobiodiversity
- Building up carbon sinks in northeast India’s shifting cultivation landscape
- Coloured cotton from India on the cusp of commercial release in 2021
- Revival and absence of Bengaluru’s traditional crop varieties
- India’s millets policy: is it headed in the right direction?
