Poachers saw off horn, but leave rhino alive in a unique case in Assam
On May 9, during regular patrolling on elephants at Orang National Park in Assam, forest guards found a rhinoceros bleeding from the nose and its signature horn missing. It was…
Nepal, India need robust conservation policies for farmland birds outside protected areas
When Nepali ornithologist Hem Bahadur Katwal reviewed the existing literature to prepare a proposal for his Ph.D., he came across a subject barely explored, not just in Nepal, but in…
[Commentary] Is expansion of aquaculture in the Indian Sundarbans an ecological threat or a pathway to sustainable development?
Aquaculture is a rapidly expanding sector globally, with India being the second-largest producer of aquaculture resources and contributing approximately 6.3% to global aquaculture production. The state of West Bengal, with…
[Book review] A rough draft of conservation history
Newspapers, as someone famously said, publish the first rough draft of history. If this is right, then the book under review can be said to provide a first rough draft…
Is a tiger reserve in Rajasthan’s Kumbhalgarh a bad idea?
On July 5, 2021, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, BJP member and Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari wrote to the Centre, seeking that the Kumbhalgarh and Todgarh Raoli Sanctuaries…
One year of Similipal forest fire: The hits and misses
The Similipal biosphere reserve in the Mayurbhanj district in Odisha was ravaged by devastating forest fires last year in February-March, affecting close to one-third of the area of the Similipal…
Geotagging to monitor vultures in MP’s Panna Tiger Reserve
About a month ago, around two dozen vultures in Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) were tagged with GPS devices as part of a scientific exercise to monitor vulture movement for understanding…
Nepal’s first bird sanctuary could be a new attraction for Indian tourists
Nepal declared its first official bird sanctuary recently, and conservationists have welcomed it as a big boost for many birds. The Ghodaghodi complex, a wetland in western Nepal's Sudurpashchim province,…
Newly declared dugong conservation reserve will help protect marine biodiversity
In an effort to protect the dugong, the Tamil Nadu government declared 500 sq. km of the biodiversity-rich waters in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, where the marine…
Editor’s review 2021: Energy transitions, biodiversity-climate change links
The year 2021 was one of swinging national sentiment in India. The year started with a misplaced optimism that India had overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, even while many other countries…
The birth of Raimona, Assam’s sixth national park
In his hunting journal Thirty-Seven Years of Big Game Shooting, the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, Niprendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, notes that in a few days’ sport in the month of…
Conservation by eliminating human presence is a flawed construct: study
"Pristine wilderness" — a natural zone free of people — as a conservation idea is an erroneous construct, a new study says. It fails to reflect the reality of how…
[Commentary] Bridge the North-South divide for a more just UN Biodiversity Framework
In September, the leaders of nation states from around the world gathered in New York City to attend the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. COVID-19, climate and…
Mangar, on the outskirts of New Delhi, looks to its past to protect its future
On the outskirts of a bustling New Delhi, the quiet village of Mangar in Haryana has long held a secret in its caves: ancient paintings. Growing up grazing livestock in…
Study examines wildlife-friendly land use for conservation beyond Nagarahole and Bandipur national parks
One of the key targets of the first draft of the Global Biodiversity Framework published recently is to conserve at least 30% of global land and sea areas as protected…
Maharashtra’s first endemic tree rediscovered after 180 years at Harishchandragad hill
While working on a project to document Maharashtra’s endemic species, researchers from the Naoroji Godrej Centre for Plant Research (NGCPR) came across a unique tree that they had never seen…
Blue whale songs recorded off Lakshadweep coast
One hot 2019 afternoon in Lakshadweep, as marine mammal scientist Divya Panicker sat engrossed in listening to recordings retrieved from underwater sound recorders, she came across low blue whale moans,…
All three tiger reserves of Chhattisgarh now in Maoist territory
The threat of Maoist conflict is now looming in Chhattisgarh's Achanakmar Tiger Reserve. The central government recently included Mungeli district, where the tiger reserve is located, in the list of…
Incentivising landowners around Pench to engage in agroforestry for conservation
The United Nations declared the decade of 2021-2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recently released the first draft of a new framework…
Impact of armed conflicts on wildlife underestimated: study
The impacts of armed conflicts on wildlife globally are underestimated, according to recent research which calls for urgent attention to conflict resiliency in conservation plans for a wide suite of…
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
- Gig workers in India are exposed to highly polluted air and carcinogens, finds preliminary study
- [Explainer] Living with microplastics, is not fantastic
- Residents in Haryana point to stone crushing units for their respiratory troubles and drop in crop yield
- As heatwaves projected to worsen across India, do vulnerability assessments and heat action plans suffice?
Almost Famous Species
- Hybridisation, roadkills are major threats for the Indian desert cat population
- From abundance to endangerment to revival, Kachchh’s guggal comes a full circle
- [Commentary] Why are evolutionary scientists studying the crawlies?
- The silent trade of elusive small cats in Mizoram
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
- 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
- Experts call for coexistence, sustainable development as tiger population is close to saturation
Beyond Protected Areas
- Hybridisation, roadkills are major threats for the Indian desert cat population
- [Video] Farmers grow paddy for wild elephants in Assam to reduce conflicts
- Megaherbivores could be a potential solution to manage invasive plants, finds study
- Darkness-loving bats are being nudged out of the shadows
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Excavating farmlands for highways
- Increasing carbon dioxide is making our food less nutritious
- Ecosystem-based adaptation takes nature-based, people-centric approach to agriculture
- [Commentary] How grassroots-led natural farming at the landscape scale can support communities and heal the planet
Just Transitions
- 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
- [Interview] Suravee Nayak on why transformative justice for women, Dalits is key for a just transition
- Promised rehabilitation eludes residents living near one of India’s earliest coal mines
