Greens grown in urban kitchen gardens beat the lockdown blues
“I have a lawn in my house and developing a kitchen garden was always on the back burner. But due to one or the other reason I was never able…
Mapping the ability of tea gardens to sequester carbon dioxide
Can tea agroforestry mosaics in Assam, the world’s largest, contiguous tea-growing area in the world pitch in, in the fight against climate change? Researchers working on sprawling tea estates to…
[Video] The barefoot ecologist who brought forests to life
For half a century, Tulasi Gowda’s life revolved around the saplings that she nurtured with much care and love at the Agasur nursery of the forest department as part of…
Forests that heal: Medicinal plants as an ecosystem service
Five trillion US dollars. That's how much the overall international trade in medicinal plants and their products alone is expected to amount to by the year 2050. Estimates, as far…
Faith and healing in the sacred groves of Madhya Pradesh
At least twice, the staid kalam tree (Mitragyna parvifolia), standing tall on a mound surrounded by farms in a nondescript village in the hilly areas of western Madhya Pradesh has…
Why the ancient Myristica swamps need more protection
The low-lying valleys of the evergreen tropical forests of the Western Ghats harbour a rare, ancient ecosystem: the Myristica swamps. Comprised mainly of evergreen trees of the Myristicaceae family—one of…
New species remain hidden in the myristica swamps of the Western Ghats
It was a bright afternoon after two days of heavy rain in Kerala and Professor P. Manimohan’s two Ph.D. students K. P. Deepna Latha and K. N. Anil Raj were…
Artificial intelligence-powered app for banana disease detection, control
Oblivious to those depending on bananas for their favourite protein shake or breakfast fix, a deadly fungus has sneaked up on banana plantations in South America, threatening the fruit’s future.…
Sacred sites in Bengaluru: Where heritage helps conserve biodiversity
In India’s IT capital Bengaluru, sprinkled within its concrete jungle, are shady peepal trees adorned with serpent stones, bells and sacred threads, standing majestically atop gated raised platforms. Often a…
[Book review] A much-needed voice for the Nilgiris
Turn page 266, the last one of Voice of a Sentient Highland, and you would have transitioned through myriad emotions. Wonder, as author Godwin Vasanth Bosco's knowledge of the land…
