Wayanad’s soured relationship with Senna
In 1986, the Kerala forest department took a decision that they would come to regret decades later. The social forestry wing of the department raised a few saplings, planted them…
[Video] Fixing fashion’s pollution problem with natural dyes
The textile industry in India, accounts for more than two percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides direct employment to 45 million people. This water-intensive industry, however, is…
[Commentary] The Atal Bhujal Yojana, meant to address groundwater depletion, is missing a key part of water flows
On the last day of August 2023, the Indian Meteorological Department announced that it was the driest and hottest August since 1901. The country received 36% less rainfall than normal,…
Inside Goa and Karnataka’s conflict on Mhadei river water
On a sweltering Saturday in a scorching May this year, hundreds of people, young and old and from all walks of life, gathered at Goa's Miramar beach, where the river…
India’s potential to address water scarcity through wastewater treatment and reuse
While urban India generates 72,368 million litres (MLD) of sewage every day, only 28% is treated and reused. The remaining untreated wastewater is allowed to freely flow into groundwater, rivers…
Ballari’s former mine workers look for space in emerging renewable sector
A. Yariswamy, a 40-year-old former mine worker from Ranajithpur village in Sandur taluka of Ballari, a district in Karnataka known for iron-ore mining, is witnessing the emergence of a new…
Urban and peri-urban farming can play a small role in reducing carbon footprint
Every few weeks, 53-year-old agricultural entomologist Rajendra Hegde addresses a large gathering in Bengaluru, where he puts forth a proposition: imagine walking up to your rooftops or balconies and foraging…
Mapping connectivity and human-elephant conflict in Karnataka
Fencing is a key conflict mitigation strategy in the Mysore Elephant Reserve in Karnataka, which sees regular cases of human-elephant conflict. Putting up fencing accounts for a significant proportion of…
Decentralised solar is transforming rural India, needs an extra push
It was mid-October and 44-year-old potter Raghuram Kulal was busy on the wheel making a mud pot. Like any traditional potter, his fast-moving fingers were giving new shape to wet…
How wineries in India are adapting to warmer winters and erratic rain
“As a child, I used to shiver while cycling to school between the months of November and January; Nashik used to be a cold travel destination. Now, it has become…
The role of urban foraging in building climate-resilient food systems
Kush Sethi does not remember the day, but he remembers the exact moment when he started paying attention to urban weeds. While following a Bengaluru-based volunteer group on Facebook that…
Grazing and invasive species impact food availability for wild herbivores in MM Hills, finds study
In October 2022, two elephants were electrocuted to death in Assam. Further investigation revealed that this accident had occurred while the tuskers were foraging in areas with heavy human habitation.…
Making sense of rainfall changes in Karnataka’s coffee estates through old records
At his 38-acre coffee estate at 3,800 ft, overlooking the pristine Baba Budan giri (hill) in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka, I.S. Umeshchandra is working on creating a database of rainfall…
Tarballs dot India’s west coast annually, indicating continued oil spills, ship fuel discharge
Right after the monsoon spell, the coastlines of India’s western states, from Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa to Karnataka, are lined with dark, sticky balls. These are tarballs, a “seasonal phenomena”…
In the EV era, Bengaluru startups innovate for a more sustainable battery ecosystem
As the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) grows in India, there are concerns on the environmental impacts of the waste they could leave behind, highlighting the need for appropriate disposal…
[Commentary] Is agroecological farming a solution for rainfed degraded land?
Prabhakar B. is a traditional farmer from Nangali village in Karnataka’s Kolar district. Along with P. Srinivas, popularly known as ‘Soil Vasu’, he leases degraded rainfed plots and converts them…
As Bengaluru loses lakes, green cover, impact of urban floods takes a toll
India’s Information Technology (IT) hub, Bengaluru, was recently in the limelight as it struggled to cope up with the recent urban floods triggered by the incessant rains in the last…
[Interview] Chukki Nanjundaswamy shares what it takes to train farmers in agroecology
About a four-hour drive southwest of Bengaluru, nestled in a verdant valley near B.R. Hills in Karnataka, Amrita Bhoomi is an agroecology learning centre that offers farmer-to-farmer training focused on…
[Commentary] Resolving the conundrum on the precautionary principle
In May 2022, in the case T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad versus Union of India, the Supreme Court passed a landmark order, marking a pivotal development in judicial jurisprudence on the precautionary…
Karnataka sets green goals but denotifies two-thirds of its forest land in plot twist
In early May 2022, the Karnataka government announced its plan to denotify two-thirds of its deemed forest land. As part of this, 6.64 lakh hectares of forest out of 9.94…
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
