The sparks of optimism in a challenging year
This year has been unexpected, to say the least. At the start of 2020, we marked the turn of the decade with optimism – we launched a series, Eco Hope,…
Mongabay series: Eco Hope
Stories of hope and efforts around environment protection and wildlife conservation from around India.
Returning to traditional practices to save Vidarbha’s ‘Lake District’
During his college days, Manish Rajankar was an avid birder. Ably guided by one of his professors, he further developed an interest in conservation and his home ground proved a…
Story of a river bed, a geological marvel and community pride
For villagers of Bori Budruk, the geological term ‘tephra’ is a local legend. The village, around 100 km from Pune city, is nestled along the banks of the Kukadi river.…
People power to clean up Pune river, bit by bit
One of the five major rivers originating from Pune district, Mutha has lost its glory because of increasing water pollution and a lack of conservation efforts from the authorities. But…
Invoking tradition and science to revive Meghalaya’s ponds
Thirty-year-old Born Lang Blah from Mawphlang village has vivid memories of his childhood, when men, women, and children would walk downhill to Um Khlaw, the pond to collect water. The…
Navi Mumbai couple fights to save a bird haven from becoming a golf course
What started as a police complaint about the destruction of mangroves in 2016 turned into a passion for conserving wetlands for the Agarwals. This Navi Mumbai couple, both in their…
Govt, NGO, citizens join hands in Maharashtra to conserve heritage trees
In an effort to save century-old trees that have been dying in Maharashtra, the state forest department has announced that they will prepare a database of heritage trees. The officials…
A group of women protect Sindhudurg’s mangroves through ecotourism
The Mandavi Creek in Vengurla had always been a place that drew wonder from Shweta Sachin Hule. She would gaze at the glistening waters under the clear blue skies and…
Saving Darbhanga’s wetlands from encroachment and apathy
Almost a decade ago, when Narayanji Choudhary first decided to work to save ponds, by creating awareness in his home region of north Bihar, he didn’t think that one day,…
Sankar and his community dig canals to save Muthupet’s mangroves
Sankar grew up listening to stories of rain. For in Muthupet, where the 54-year-old’s family has been residing for about 250 years, it was the rainfall which nourished an extensive…
