
Mongabay series: Conserving Agro-biodiversity
The Conserving Agrobiodiversity series looks at a gamut of stories from the fields of India -- from technological advances to traditional knowledge, from saving seeds to modifying them -- all focussed towards protecting the diversity of crops and food we eat and efforts to ensure food security for generations to come. In the quest to feed a burgeoning population, India's agriculture is scrambling for ways to keep up production in the face of climate change and livelihood challenges. Whether it is going back to basic natural farming methods, unlocking genetic diversity of primary crops or bringing traditional grains back into vogue, institutions and individuals across the country and working on new and old ways of conserving agrobiodiversity.


No country for regulation – of genetically engineered crops

Scientists seek help from wheat’s wild cousins to sustain high yields

Global team unlocks chickpea’s genetic diversity for climate resilience

Farmers become citizen scientists to adapt to climate change

Revive indigenous knowledge, reorient transport to deal with climate change, obesity and undernutrition

Photos: The Dongrias of Niyamgiri revive climate-resilient heirloom seeds

Can we bank on seed banks? Priority should be to conserve natural habitats, feel experts

[Interview] Kerala agriculture minister: Organic and natural farming will give farmers self reliance and climate resilience

Birds suffer ‘collateral damage’ as horticulture booms in Kutch

Home gardens and polluted fields are helping conserve this perfume source

Manipur’s native fishes in troubled waters

Andhra Pradesh’s push for zero budget natural farming inspires others

A lost desi cotton heritage

Rainforest coffee better for taste and biodiversity, but needs policy support for farmers’ income

Wheat genome unravelled: can help in dealing with climate change

Will indigenous cattle 2.0 be climate resilient breeds?

Ducks wade through paddy fields to bump up profits

Youth drive revival of traditional rice varieties in West Bengal

Saving the seed: A bank that secures the future of agriculture
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
- Sewing their way to a sustainable menstruation
- Continued fluoride contamination of groundwater is a glaring public health issue in central India
- 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

Almost Famous Species
- From a life among royals, to fighting for survival
- What do bees see? Developing urban gardens to attract pollinators
- [Interview] Whitley Award winner from Nepal emphasises on crossborder collaboration to protect the red panda
- [Interview] Priyan Perera: Shining a light on the little-studied Indian pangolins in Sri Lanka

India's Iconic Landscapes
- [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
- Grasses spur mangroves to grow in an erosion-riddled Sundarbans patch
- Scientists raise caution as mangroves erode faster along the Bengal coastline

Beyond Protected Areas
- Tiger movements between India and Nepal become increasingly restricted, even as numbers rise
- Failure to cut GHG emissions is putting species conservation in eastern Himalayas at risk
- [Commentary] Connecting corridors for tigers in Central India
- Trafficked kangaroos rescued in north Bengal en route to Indore turn the spotlight on Indian zoos

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
