Towards better prediction of coral bleaching
Off the coast of Red Skin Island in the Andamans, it was a colourful world that marine biologist Vardhan Patankar dived into in the summer of 2016. Here, corals wore…
Twenty years in the making: Where is India’s National Plan of Action for shark fisheries?
Among the many threatened marine species in the world, shark populations exhibit some of the most worrying trends. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s latest assessment, 139…
What would happen if the oceans are completely covered with plastic?
That single-use plastics in oceans can affect coastal habitats, marine organisms and even seafood, is today well documented. But can small fragments of plastic bags and straws change large-scale oceanographic…
Mumbai’s fishers relieved after courts pause the coastal road project
Fifty-two-year-old Moreshwar Namdeo Koli is a fisherman whose family has been fishing in the Arabian sea off the Mumbai coast for the past three generations. His is among the 15,000…
Where do fish go for a spa?
“The most extreme thing about the ocean is its sheer, inconceivable size. In that enormous volume – the biggest habitat on earth – lives a kaleidoscope of animals, plants, microbes…
Citizen scientists to scout for wildflowers across four countries
A cross-country crowdsourcing campaign aims to map wildflowers in four countries -- India, Ethiopia, Turkey and Indonesia. The countries have an incredibly high richness of plant species. But updated data…
Seabird poop may enhance coral reef recovery after bleaching
Restoration of seabird populations can help quicker recovery of reefs following bleaching events, finds a study on coral reefs around the Chagos archipelago in the central Indian Ocean, which were…
Microplastics and colourants found in mussels from India’s southeast coast
Microscopic plastic particles and colourants have been detected inside the commercially important Asian green mussel Perna viridis from a fishing harbour in Chennai for the first time in a preliminary…
Your environment this week: India’s disappearing insects, tiger den in Veerappan’s lair, sand mining crisis
This week’s environment and conservation news stories rolled into one. To receive a weekly email with a roundup of our stories, please sign-up to our newsletter. A millennial trains to spruce…
Indian research network on horseshoe crab takes wing as the living fossil battles threats
In a mangrove clump in Balasore in coastal Odisha, a youth gingerly snips away at the tangles of a fishing net around an upturned crab-like struggling creature, as it desperately…
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?
