Cropland takes up 6% of global protected areas: study
Protected areas cover around 13% of the earth's surface, but contain an estimated 83% of its endangered wildlife. However, mounting evidence suggests that protected areas may not be living up…
When tigers, elephants, rhinos visit an expanding Indian town
When 25-year-old e-rickshaw driver Javed Ali went out for work on the morning of November 23 last year, he had little idea that he would return home with the nightmarish…
Scientific survey maps 73 snow leopards in Himachal Pradesh
Till recently, the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh (HP) was only making wild guesses about the population status of the snow leopard, the state animal of HP. After three years,…
[Commentary] Decade of biodiversity saved from bio-travesty?
The recent move to denotify Uttarakhand’s Shivalik Elephant Reserve, the only Elephant Reserve in the State, was thwarted by the Hon’ble High Court of Uttarakhand vide its Stay Order dated…
[Interview] ‘There is so much you can do in the forest service’, says IFS Vanjulavalli Sridhar
With busy doctors as parents, annual visits to wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the Western Ghats punctuated Vanjulavalli Sridhar's childhood, sparking and nurturing her love for forests and wildlife.…
India’s SOP to deal with feral and stray dogs in tiger reserves lacks the bite
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in December 2020 released a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document to tackle feral and stray dogs in tiger reserves (TRs) across the country. It…
Cyclones brought relief to migratory birds in parched Tamil Nadu but more action is needed
Cyclones Nivar and Burevi brought relief to migratory birds after a two-year lull post-cyclone Gaja in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which was finally able to clock a…
Editor’s review of 2020: Virus, controversies, wildlife, transitions and wetlands
The first case of COVID-19 infection was officially reported in India in January 2020 from Thrissur in Kerala. In December 2020, a 90-year-old Britisher became the world’s first person to…
Environment ministry defers clearance to dam in M.P., part of Ken-Betwa interlinking project
An expert panel of India’s environment ministry has deferred environment clearance for the Lower Orr Dam, which is part of the Ken-Betwa river interlinking project, and sought fresh data to…
The elongated tortoise battles habitat loss and fire in its leaf litter home
Over 90 percent of the habitat of the elongated tortoise falls outside the protected area (PA) network in the Indian subcontinent. Experts in India and Bangladesh bat for community-based conservation…
How dams affect the gene flow of golden mahseer in the Himalayas
Scientists have found close genetic relationships between populations of the golden mahseer, an iconic freshwater fish in Indian rivers Bhagirathi and Ganga, while significant genetic differentiation was observed between Alaknanda…
[Video] India’s wildlife knows no boundaries
When we think of wildlife, we might picture tigers moving among tall sal trees, crocodiles swimming in rivers, elephants gathered around waterholes. We often only think of pristine forests; we…
The tigers that live in a thermal power plant
Tigers are known for living in dense forest areas, away from human settlements -- unlike the other big cats, leopards, that are quite comfortable living in human-dominated habitats and in…
Resettlement is a voluntary option for families in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
Radhika would have been about four when she left her home in Kurichyad, a settlement deep inside Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS), Kerala to live with her relatives in Chethalyam, a…
Uttarakhand’s draft ecotourism policy could threaten biodiversity
About 65 percent of India’s hill state of Uttarakhand is forested. Now, a latest proposed ecotourism policy suggests using vast stretches of these forests for ecotourism activities. While the policy…
Can elephants be ‘restricted’ to forests?
Two days before the World Elephant Day, India’s Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar released a document outlining best practices of human-elephant conflict management in India but the booklet has come under…
[Commentary] Tigers, tourists and pilgrims: The ecological impact of pilgrimage sites in protected areas
When one visits a national park or tiger reserve in India, be it as a safari tourist or as a scientific researcher, one pays entrance fees and applies for permissions.…
States propose minimal eco-sensitive zones around protected areas
India has a countrywide network of protected areas (PAs) including wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and tiger reserves. Owing to the pressures of human habitation and infrastructure development projects the eco-sensitive…
Conserve both large intact and small degraded habitats to maintain biodiversity
Scientists are undivided on the need to conserve natural habitats to maintain biodiversity, but divided on which ones to prioritise: intact wild habitats, or fragmented, degraded lands that are becoming…
Gharials swimming across India-Nepal border an opportunity for enhanced co-operation
School teacher Goutam Tantia recalls being shocked at seeing people put a price on glimpsing a gharial in a village in eastern Bihar, abutting Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal. …
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
- 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
- Leopard cats may not respond well to global warming
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
- 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
- Rusty-spotted cat conservation hinges on dedicated research and management plans
- Mistaken identity becomes a major threat for India’s small wild cats
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
