
Mongabay series: Hewing The Regulatory Tree
India has multiple laws, rules, policies, and guidelines to protect its environment, forests, wildlife and biodiversity. These regulations together provide the legislative framework to authorities at the federal, state, district or village level to govern them. Taken together, all these regulations resemble a large tree that encompasses all sectors and issues directly or indirectly related to the environmental sector. Strict implementation of these regulations, however, is increasingly being considered a roadblock to industrial and developmental projects securing green clearances. In such a scenario, successive governments irrespective of their ideology, have consistently made efforts to streamline and simplify the procedures to make the process quicker. However, legal experts and those closely tracking the field note that simplifying the procedures is nothing but watering down of the green laws. They point out that the dilutions of the country’s green laws are akin to hewing the regulatory tree of India’s green laws. Every dilution in the laws is similar to an axe cutting the tree in the name of getting rid of deadwood. Through this series, Mongabay-India is documenting how the regulatory changes are being brought in and what the changes actually mean. Our stories from around the country string together the decisions made in closed rooms and their impact on the ground. Through this project, we also chronicle instances where governments attempt to undo the efforts of courts that quashed environmental policy dilutions.


[Video] How does the new draft EIA affect the environment and me?

Environment ministry unlocked many protected areas during the lockdown

Cheaper coal transport through water and sky could come at the cost of the environment

Etalin hydel plant’s future now hangs on its economic viability

Concern for birds grounds Mumbai’s marina project for now

Despite COVID lockdown, environment ministry’s expert panels race to clear projects

Government pushes for post facto environment clearances while apex court disapproves

India’s proposed overhaul of environment clearance rules could dilute existing regulations

Protecting Jharkhand’s groves of faith

High rate of green clearances continue, puts forests and wildlife at risk

As the Brahmaputra swells, erosion-affected families await revised policy

Twenty years in the making: Where is India’s National Plan of Action for shark fisheries?

Western Maharashtra floods: A man-made disaster?

Private sector gets go ahead for assisting rehabilitation of degraded forests

Govt modifies compensatory afforestation rules for ease of business

NDA 2.0: What it means for India’s environment?

Amid elections, government proposes overhaul of environment clearance rules

[Commentary] Nearly a decade old, is the National Green Tribunal losing its bite?

Emissions in Indo Gangetic Plain linked to nearly half of untimely deaths due to outdoor air pollution
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
- Gig workers in India are exposed to highly polluted air and carcinogens, finds preliminary study
- [Explainer] Living with microplastics, is not fantastic
- Residents in Haryana point to stone crushing units for their respiratory troubles and drop in crop yield
- As heatwaves projected to worsen across India, do vulnerability assessments and heat action plans suffice?

Almost Famous Species
- From abundance to endangerment to revival, Kachchh’s guggal comes a full circle
- [Commentary] Why are evolutionary scientists studying the crawlies?
- The silent trade of elusive small cats in Mizoram
- Researchers study the elusive dugongs of the Andamans with help from community stakeholders

Eco Hope
- Green pilgrimage model balances faith and conservation
- [Video] Restoring the perennial Thamirabarani river with people power
- [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's Iconic Landscapes
- Studies reveal impact of land use on species diversity in rock outcrops
- Improved tiger numbers come with hidden messages on invasives, habitat connectivity
- Gymnosperms that are critical for coniferous forest health may be steadily declining in response to climate change
- Experts call for coexistence, sustainable development as tiger population is close to saturation

Beyond Protected Areas
- [Video] Farmers grow paddy for wild elephants in Assam to reduce conflicts
- Megaherbivores could be a potential solution to manage invasive plants, finds study
- Darkness-loving bats are being nudged out of the shadows
- Bioinvasions are a global threat to ecosystems, says IPBES report

Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Excavating farmlands for highways
- Increasing carbon dioxide is making our food less nutritious
- Ecosystem-based adaptation takes nature-based, people-centric approach to agriculture
- [Commentary] How grassroots-led natural farming at the landscape scale can support communities and heal the planet

Just Transitions
- Climate action not on track to meet Paris Agreement goals, says Global Stocktake report
- [Interview] Suravee Nayak on why transformative justice for women, Dalits is key for a just transition
- Promised rehabilitation eludes residents living near one of India’s earliest coal mines
- As e-mobility gains traction, what’s in store for the friendly neighbourhood mechanic?
