An upcoming port in Karnataka is shrinking space for olive ridley turtles
Read part 1 of this series to understand Karnataka's port-based development spree and what it means for the people living on the coast. In part 2, find out how a road…
Environmental headlines
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Concerns over increased whale shark stranding along Andhra Pradesh’s coast
“One February evening in 2022, a fisherman alerted me of a massive sea creature trapped in their fishing net on Vizag’s shore,” narrates Srikanth Mannepuri, photographer and wildlife conservationist from…
A road for a port cuts through the livelihoods of fisherwomen in Uttara Kannada
Read part 1 of this series to understand Karnataka's port-based development spree and what it means for the people living on the coast. Part 3 looks at one such minor…
Bangladesh Sundarbans communities face hardships following a resource hunting ban
On June 1, Bangladesh implemented a total ban on entry into the Sundarbans mangrove forest for three months. The ban applies not only to tourists but also the communities that…
Maharashtra’s cashew farmers hit hard by unseasonal rain, temperature and pests
Harishchandra Desai, a farmer from Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, has 1,100 cashew trees. But, only a few have yielded fruit this season. The 65-year-old belongs to the Zapade village of the…
Karnataka’s port-development spree ignores coastal communities’ concerns
Karnataka is on a port-development spree. The 320-kilometre coastline, spread across three districts – Uttara Kannada, Udupi, and Dakshin Kannada – is dotted with 12 minor ports, and one major…
[Explainer] Are biofuels finally coming of age?
Fossil fuels kickstarted the industrial age for humanity. However, humans now face the possibility of running out of these fuels by the end of this century. So, where do industries that…
Dual threat of drought-like conditions and flash floods puts Kashmir Valley’s food security at risk
In the village of Brah, in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Mudasir Ahmad, a 32-year-old farmer is considering giving up farming since he has been incurring losses for many years now.…
[Webinar] What does India need to meet its 2030 renewable energy targets?
In 2015, India announced an ambitious plan of installing 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity. Since then, the targets have only gotten bolder and stronger. India is now eyeing…
[Commentary] Community collaboration in field research: Notes from Meghalaya
Northeast India is home to more than 200 tribes. For the centuries before the government declared forests as ‘protected’, these were the communities that took care of these biodiversity hotspots.…
[Commentary] Latest wetland mapping data underscores the need to step up conservation action
On World Wetlands Day this year on February 2, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, released the National Decadal Wetlands Change Atlas (2022 Atlas).…
Understanding cyclone behaviour in a changing climate
In April-May 2019, extreme severe cyclone Fani, with its 11-day lifespan on ocean and land, became the longest-lived cyclone to spawn in the Bay of Bengal. It rapidly intensified from…
Himachal’s ecology under pressure; around 31 forest fires per day in April-June this year
Roshan Lal, 66, is livid. He is yet to come to terms with the damage caused to a forest near his village, that caught fire on June 12. Lal, an…
Converging heat action plans, climate goals and environmental health for healthier communities
With heatwaves setting in early, stretching on longer and with more intensity, heat action plans now need to account for the changing heat risks and differing vulnerability of exposed population…
[Interview] More research about relationship between flash floods and climate change needed
A large part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin makes up the most of Bangladesh's land. The northeastern part of the country, which the Meghna Basin covers, is currently experiencing highly destructive…
Wheat production stagnant in MP’s fertile Narmadapuram, fertiliser overuse raises concern
Rahul Singh Tomar is a farmer at Raisalpur village in Narmadapuram district of Madhya Pradesh. The village is part of the Narmada valley and famous for the fertile black soil…
Multiple hydropower projects on the Chenab river ring alarm bells
More than half a dozen hydropower projects are under various stages of development on the Chenab river in the Kashmir of India, even though there have been repeated warnings from…
[Illustrations] Why are temperatures within a city’s neighbourhoods different?
The summer of 2022 has been particularly harsh all over India, with unrelenting heat spells signalling evolving climatic systems. With March being declared as the hottest in the India Meteorological…
[Book Review] In The Living Mountain, Ghosh holds up a time-traveller’s mirror to the climate crisis
Opening the courier packet, I was disappointed with how slim the latest book from Amitav Ghosh, The Living Mountain: A Fable of our Times, was. At 35 pages, it was…
[Explainer] Can planting trees mitigate climate change?
As the world is struggling to combat climate change, one idea – planting trees – seems to be taking hold as a panacea for curing the ills of pollution, soaring…
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
- Dumped plastic containers lead to mosquito abundance on the Lakshadweep islands
- Converging heat action plans, climate goals and environmental health for healthier communities
- Industrial water pollution threatens residents in Haryana’s Kundli area
- [Photos] Maharashtra’s female farm workforce struggles in the shadows of floods
Almost Famous Species
- Concerns over increased whale shark stranding along Andhra Pradesh’s coast
- Dimming the glow of firefly festivals in Maharashtra
- Habitat changes may be causing sarus cranes to form breeding trios
- New gharial hatchlings in Nepal a hopeful sign for the critically endangered reptile
India's Iconic Landscapes
- The container terminal that could sink the Great Nicobar Island
- North India’s hills are feeling the heat too, but differently
- [Commentary] Is expansion of aquaculture in the Indian Sundarbans an ecological threat or a pathway to sustainable development?
- One year of Similipal forest fire: The hits and misses
Beyond Protected Areas
- Authorities announce “clean up” of Loktak lake; locals fear loss of fishing commons
- Involvement of fishing communities, transboundary cooperation could help mitigate threats to the Ganges river dolphin
- Attacks by dogs a serious concern for the revered blackbuck in Haryana
- Human-animal conflict in Kashmir leaves a trail of deaths and psychological impacts
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Farmers fear low fruit production as Kashmir records decline in precipitation
- Scientists sequence chickpea genome which could inform crop improvement efforts
- [Video Explainer] What is the significance of the Biological Diversity Amendment Bill and why did it face opposition?
- Tackling agrobiodiversity loss in Odisha’s Similipal protected area
Just Transitions
- Land banks in Jharkhand may become a recipe for conflicts
- Unaccounted deaths lay bare the dark side of sand mining
- In the midst of coal shortage reports, a coal mine extension is approved in pristine Hasdeo forests
- As India looks to shift to renewables, Jharkhand’s coal mine workers fear loss of jobs and social security
