
Mongabay series: India's Iconic Landscapes
Stretching from tropical to temperate latitudes, with a 7,500 km long coastline, two archipelagos, some of the tallest mountains and the most extensive mangrove ecosystem in the world, iconic India harbours biodiversity hotspots of global importance. From these landscapes, we will bring you stories of people, animals, plants and their habitats. This series on the country's iconic landscapes spans the well known Himalayas and the Ganga river basins but also tells the stories of fascinating efforts of conservation in small pockets of the Sundarbans, the Western Ghats, the coastline and even the urban centres of the vast and varied country. As an emerging economy, the growth story of iconic India has had varying impact on the country’s habitats, natural resources, biological diversity and forest-dwelling communities. We highlight stories of neglect and destruction to some of the country's most important landscapes and through a mix of perspectives we bring to the fore the need for protecting them and growing through sustainable development.


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

Shielding hijol, a floodplain tree, from climate impacts

[Explainer] Mass flowering and why some plants bloom and die together

Uttar Pradesh reports an increase in rhino population since reintroduction over three decades ago

[Video] Hangul, the shy Kashmiri deer, is facing the threat of extinction as its habitat shrinks

Rajasthan is getting wetter and it’s not good news for the desert ecology

[Commentary] Traditional water harvesting structures in the Thar desert are vanishing

[Maps] Environmental path cleared for Great Nicobar mega project

[Commentary] India’s wildlife conservation journey has had great strides and many hurdles

All eyes on the next chapter: India prepares to host cheetahs after 70 years

Farming becomes tough in Himachal’s cold desert with changing climate and crop pattern

Manipur landslide sparks ecological debate

The container terminal that could sink the Great Nicobar Island

North India’s hills are feeling the heat too, but differently

[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
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
- The art and science of elephant whispering
- Scientists develop a toolkit to identify high conservation-value areas
- Call to save rare snake habitat follows red coral kukri sightings in Bangladesh
- Small cats in big trouble: Why we need to save these elusive endangered species

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
- 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
- [Interview] Ajay Kumar Rastogi on leading India’s first just transition task force
