Snakes in Bengaluru city
“Sun’s out, snakes out!” exclaimed Shuayb Ahmed, and Yatin Kalki as they jumped to action. Ahmed, an independent snake rescuer, had received a frantic call from a woman who spotted…
Mongabay series: Beyond Protected Areas
Protected areas only cover about 5.02 percent of India’s total area. Consequently, a large percentage of India’s wildlife live outside protected boundaries. This gives rise to situations spanning between coexistence and conflict, which requires acknowledgement and awareness.
Sea snakes along Konkan coast imperilled by bycatch, lack of enforcement of fishery regulations
In a recent study, marine biologists forewarn a decline in sea snake populations at the Malvan coast, a major landing port in southern Maharashtra. The authors flag that mechanised vessels are…
Return of the tiger at West Bengal’s Buxa tiger reserve
“There was a road leading to Buxa Duar, which was one of the finest trails in that area. Unfortunately, that road was washed out in the 1993 floods. I was…
Artificial nests for barn owls help farmers befriend these natural rodent killers
On a cold winter morning in late 2009, Dilip Konwar, a sprightly man in his late forties, scrambled up a bamboo ladder and peeked into the dark insides under the…
Forests of faith face encroachments and invasive species in Punjab
Only a smidge of Punjab’s geographical area is forested, a state in north India’s wheat-producing belt. Nurtured by people’s beliefs in these small forest patches are sacred groves –forest fragments…
Lack of diverse, good-quality seeds curb tree-planting goals and reforestation plans
Several Asian countries, including India, have set ambitious targets to restore tens of millions of hectares of degraded land by 2030. But, according to new research, these plans could be…
Butterfly records at the forefront of Arunachal’s biodiversity sightings
Minom Pertin, Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi, and Nawang Gyatso Bhutia, butterfly enthusiasts and researchers, were on a routine trek of the Mishmi Hills in Arunachal Pradesh when they came across a…
Solving multiple challenges while considering biodiversity and human rights
Protection, restoration and better management of ecosystems through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) feature in many national commitments, including India's, but there is scope for much more in climate change mitigation and…
Smugglers using government amnesty scheme as a new tool for exotic wildlife trade
With a complete ban on wildlife trade of Indian species, there has been a surge in demand in India, for exotic species from different parts of the world, noted the…
Gadchiroli’s new jumbo visitors could make the forests their permanent home
Maharashtra’s eastern district of Gadchiroli, which has dense forest cover, had new visitors last month. A group of wild elephants from neighbouring Chhattisgarh migrated across the border in mid-October. It…
Scientists describe a new Himalayan snake species found via Instagram
Researchers have found a snake species new to science in the Himalayas — on Instagram! During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Virender Bhardwaj, a master’s student at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, explored…
[Explainer] What is the effect of plastic on ecosystems?
The largest division on the geological time scale (GTS), which depicts distinct time periods in geological history, is called eons. Eons are further divided into eras, which are divided further…
[Commentary] Keeping wildlife wild: Learnings from rehabilitating the world’s smallest wild cat
Just minutes before his release, standing on top of the cage trapdoor, I decided to give one last look to a rusty-spotted cat, ‘Numero Uno’ as I referred to him…
Two decades of a city lake conservation shows results but work remains
It is 7 a.m. but inside Borvan city forest, the last vestiges of the night still hang heavy. Birds chirp relentlessly and a few morning walkers try to sweat it…
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…
High-flying dragons: how the globe skimmer migrates across the Indian Ocean
Marine biologist Charles Anderson saw swarms of globe skimmer dragonflies landing at the Maldives during autumn, before they took off towards East Africa. Back in 2009, these observations led Anderson…
Tea plantations support biodiversity when managed agroecologically
New research reveals tea plantations can support biodiversity from native plants, wildlife and microorganisms when managed in an agro-ecological setting with sustainable, good practices. Scientists at Ashoka Trust for Research…
Tigers return to Gadchiroli forests after 30 years, human-animal conflict spikes
Until a few years ago, local communities in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli would have no fear going inside forests to collect firewood, pick fruits, and cultivate their farms. Things, however, have changed…
Jackie Chan, Balerion and Smaug inspire names of gecko species described from Western Ghats
Researchers recently described 12 new gecko species from the Western Ghats, 10 of which are endemic and found nowhere else in the world. Some of them got quirky names, after…
Human disturbance alters parasite communities, increases infectious disease: study
Human disturbance affects the disease dynamics of a place through its effect on the prevalence of host and parasite species in the geography, a study finds. The study published in…
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
- In a Himachal village, people accuse a waste management plant for contaminating water
- [Commentary] Worsening water quality in Ganga’s lower stretches and what it means for us
- Human disturbance alters parasite communities, increases infectious disease: study
- Lower species richness in deforested landscapes tied to high Kyasanur forest disease risk: study
Almost Famous Species
- Sea snakes along Konkan coast imperilled by bycatch, lack of enforcement of fishery regulations
- Newly declared dugong conservation reserve will help protect marine biodiversity
- [Commentary] Tracing the history, portrait and uses of the panneer rose
- Butterfly records at the forefront of Arunachal’s biodiversity sightings
India's Iconic Landscapes
- Climate mitigation should not come at cost of biodiversity conservation, warns tropical savannah ecologist
- Tracking rivers, the highways of plastic waste
- Snug in Kashmir’s meadows, ox-eye daisy worries scientists
- Assam to destroy nearly 2500 seized rhino horns in anti-poaching message
Beyond Protected Areas
- Snakes in Bengaluru city
- Sea snakes along Konkan coast imperilled by bycatch, lack of enforcement of fishery regulations
- Return of the tiger at West Bengal’s Buxa tiger reserve
- Artificial nests for barn owls help farmers befriend these natural rodent killers
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- [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
- An indigenous community in Meghalaya offers lessons in climate resilience
- Sweet pineapples and a variety of trees nurture each other in this patchwork plantation
