Women take the wheel for safer tourism in Satpura Tiger Reserve
It’s early in the morning. Tourists visiting the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, cross the Denwa river to reach the forests of Madhai. Gypsy cars (a model of off-road…
Mongabay series: Environment and Her
From environment heroes to women-centric solutions for environmental problems, our stories in this series explore how the environment impacts women uniquely. What are these challenges and are women equipped to handle them?
[Interview] Purnima Jalihal on the evolution and future of ocean energy systems in India
A seawater-powered lantern with an output in watts; a small hut powered by one to five kilowatts of ocean energy; or a town that could run on megawatts harnessed from…
Women take the lead in promoting nutrition-sensitive aquaculture in Odisha
Until a decade and a half ago, mola fish (Amblypharyngodon mola), a small indigenous species (SIS), was an integral part of Odia cuisine. However, with changing climatic conditions, pollution, excessive…
[Commentary] Kolkata’s climate action plan needs to be more gender-sensitive
Heatwaves, floods, flash droughts and cyclones are increasingly becoming regular events in India. The cities facing such climate events have been experiencing high economic losses and loss of lives due…
Marine fishing ban in Odisha leads to loss of income for women involved in allied activities
The eastern coastal state of Odisha, with a 480-kilometre long coastline, has been imposing two fishing bans annually for over two decades in order to conserve the fish population and…
[Podcast] GigaWhat: Transforming lives with decentralised clean energy
In rural India, decentralised renewable energy options – primarily solar power – are creating livelihood and business opportunities. Decentralised renewable energy systems are primarily independent of the central power grid,…
[Interview] Just representation in climate policies empowers women, says Saudamini Das
“No one was willing to buy the argument that mangroves buffer against tsunami,” environmental economist Saudamini Das recalls the research and debate surrounding storm protection services of mangroves following the…
Can MGNREGS work as a social protection scheme for women in heat-stressed areas?
Bhavana Devi, or Bhuri, as she is known by people in the village of Kerpura in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district, cheerfully opens the rusted iron doors to her home. Sunlight streams…
Saffron, biodiversity and glaciers: Kashmir’s women scientists lead climate action
Several women scientists from Kashmir are at the forefront of research to tackle changing climatic patterns that threaten local ecologies, livelihoods and networks that sustain them. Scientists Nasheeman Ashraf, Ulfat…
[Photos] Maharashtra’s female farm workforce struggles in the shadows of floods
“How will we survive? What can we do now? What will we eat?” Hirabai Hugge, 65, spent a majority of her time over six months, thinking about these questions. In…
Solar mini-grids fuel women-led enterprises in Jharkhand’s Gumla district
Birsuni Oraon is a tribal woman in her 50s, living in Guniya village in the Gumla district of Jharkhand. Until a few months ago, she would usually be occupied with…
A decade on, India’s first solar park has many promises left to fulfil
“You should come here during the monsoon to see how big our gauchar (grazing land) was,” reminisces Nanu Rabari, 60, as she breaks pods of Prosopis juliflora, called gando bawal…
India’s women and children highly vulnerable to climate change yet missing in climate policies
As the number of vagaries of climate extremes increases, so has the disproportionate burden on women and children, finds growing evidence. Policies, however, are yet to catch up and reflect…
Gond women take charge of water and farming in their village
Located in Amarpur block of district Dindori in Madhya Pradesh, Lalpur village is widely divided into two hamlets, Banwasi Tola and Muqaddam Tola. While Banwasi Tola depends on poultry as…
Women farmers of Odisha navigate impacts of extreme weather events while pushing for recognition
Saraju Nayak is a woman farmer based at Jirabadi village under the Bhanjnagar Block of disaster-prone Ganjam district in Odisha. Her family owns around 10 acres of land in the…
Small steps are making energy sector more inclusive for women
Thirty-one-year-old Nagarathna gingerly maneuvers a trolley-like contraption across the dairy shed with solar panel fixtures gleaming in the sun. The contraption – a solar-powered milking machine – saves Nagarathna, a…
Women and feminist groups demand gender equality and inclusion of diverse voices at COP26
“Two degrees is a death sentence for island nations…We've come here to say – try harder!” said the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, making one of the most…
[Interview] The glass ceiling has been shattered, says ZSI’s first woman director
Senior Zoological Survey of India scientist Dhriti Banerjee has straddled two different worlds of research — physiology of drug abuse and working on the use of insects in forensic investigations…
How Sarmoli became a poster child of ecotourism in Uttarakhand
"पहाड़ का पानी और पहाड़ की जवानी पहाड़ में नहीं रुकती " (the water of the mountains and the youth living in the mountains, never stay in mountains). This local…
Women from Kerala weave a solution to the region’s climate woes
Idukki district gets its name from the Malayalam word idukku, which means gorge. Beautiful narrow gorges run across this hilly tourist destination in Kerala in south India. But the district…
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
- As heatwaves projected to worsen across India, do vulnerability assessments and heat action plans suffice?
- Assam’s North Lakhimpur treats 40 years of legacy waste in just nine months
- Varying levels of microplastics detected in sea salt produced across India
- Decline in pollinators linked to half a million premature human deaths every year, shows study
Almost Famous Species
- The gharial attempts a second comeback with help from the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary
- Understanding the role of local communities in the conservation of critically endangered rhino rays
- Citizen scientists help discover a blind catfish species hidden inside Kerala’s aquifers
- Flying is riskier for female katydids, finds India’s first insect radio telemetry study
Eco Hope
- [Interview] Conservation scientist Joli Rumi Borah on integrating traditional knowledge in research
- [Interview] Scientist Ruth DeFries on deforestation: There isn’t one driver, there’s a different context in different places
- India budgets for mangroves and wetlands
- Working with biomaterials to add to the sustainable energy mix
India's Iconic Landscapes
- Experts call for coexistence, sustainable development as tiger population is close to saturation
- Ain’t no mountain high enough: alien invasive plants increasing in higher elevations
- Unplanned, faulty buildings tremble under weather events in the fragile Himalayan regions
- Nourishing soils of Kashmir’s karewas crumble under infrastructure
Beyond Protected Areas
- Study finds how community-based conservation efforts influence mammal populations in Meghalaya
- Habitat loss due to tourism in the Western Ghats pushes endangered frogs to the edge
- Alligator gar fish found in Dal lake raises concerns
- The art and science of elephant whispering
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- How a drought-prone village in Maharashtra attained agricultural success with millets
- Thirunelly’s seed festival celebrates traditional climate-resilient seeds and farm produce
- [Explainer] Why is 2023 the International Year of Millets? What do we achieve by celebrating such years?
- Nations adopt Global Biodiversity Framework amid concerns over watered-down targets
Just Transitions
- Ballari’s former mine workers look for space in emerging renewable sector
- Bauxite mining in Jharkhand is impacting soil fertility, people’s health
- Incentives to boost demand, increase in e-buses in Tamil Nadu’s latest EV policy
- Electricity transition in India’s renewable-rich states needs to accelerate, says study
