A protected geographical location between the southern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka, the Gulf of Mannar is a sensitive ecological zone as it is home…
Though located geographically in Kerala, the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam is owned, operated, and maintained by the Tamil Nadu government and has been a point of dispute between the two neighbouring…
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…
It had been raining in Chennai since the beginning of November 2021, which culminated in a heavy spell on November 7, when the city recorded over 200 mm of rain.…
Traditional healer Janakiamma (60) belongs to the Kurumba community. An indigenous community in south India, Kurumba is listed by the government of India as one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal…
In Puthiravali, a village in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, villagers are hopeful that Haldia Petrochemical Ltd.'s takeover of Nagarjuna Oil Corporation Ltd.’s (NOCL) dysfunctional oil refinery will result in…
There are heavy rains in the south Indian city of Chennai and the metropolis has flooded, bringing back memories of the of December 2015 floods. Mongabay-India talked with Jayshree Vencatesan,…
Biodiversity, the variety of life across genes, species and populations, plays an integral role in ensuring food security, ecosystem function, and human well-being. Amid alarming reports of skyrocketing species extinction…
Extreme rainfall deficiencies were not the only causes of famines in semi-arid regions of southern India in the 18th to 20th centuries, according to research that blends paleoclimate reconstruction and…
Gliding through the water, a diver searches for small fragments of Turbinaria mesenterina or table coral, found in abundance near the islands of Goa in the Arabian Sea. Another diver brings…
With over 60 species of grasses, Kutch’s Banni grassland, India’s largest, is home to an array of wildlife and key to its dairy industry. The grasses satiate the livestock reared…
Delhi recently launched its draft Master Plan 2041- a vision document for the city’s development over the next two decades.The draft plan envisages making Delhi environmentally sustainable, liveable, and economically…
For the past two decades, the catch and trade of seahorses has been banned in India. However, a new study reveals that 13 million seahorses are estimated to have been…
The past two decades have seen an increase in environmental activism in the Nilgiris, as well as other parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It has evolved from protests, dharnas…
The neem tree in Kumarettiyapuram village in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu was a media attraction in early 2018. Villagers would gather here every day in protest against pollution from…
In 2019, black wattle trees stood tall in around 50 hectares of land in Pazhathottam in Kerala’s Pambadum Shola National Park. Black wattle, in India, is an exotic, invasive tree…
Yet another magical sunset in the entrancingly beautiful hill ranges of Gudalur in Tamil Nadu. But forest range officers (FROs) in the Pandanallur Range here have always been more interested…
Uma Mani, in her 50s, is a Chennai-based self-taught artist. She used to paint tulips and roses until 2010, the year in which she learned about coral reefs in Juan…
River Vaigai, seminal to Tamil literature, culture, and civilization, is now almost a dead river in Madurai, a city where it has been the lifeline since the ancient Sangam era.…
Southern India was hit by severe drought from 2016 to 2018 arising from low rainfall during the northeast monsoon, which occurs during the winter. So severe was the impact that…