
Mongabay series: The Indian Forest Story
India is the second-most populous country in the world, and one of the most biodiverse. The constant juxtaposition of people and forests has resulted in a 'conservation versus development' narrative, which needs to change. The fact that a forest is much more than a stand of trees needs to be communicated, to people and policymakers alike. The positive impacts of forests are diverse and far-reaching, a testimony to the interconnectedness of the environment we live in. India’s size and geographical location makes the country’s forests unique. The country straddles the tropical and temperate latitudes, resulting in the rich biodiversity of the tropical evergreen and deciduous forests, and the temperate forests of the northern latitudes. Home to the world's tallest mountains - the Himalayas - rising above the snowline, the temperate forests turn into tundra and Alpine meadows. The Himalayas stretch into the northeastern part of the country, from where other mountain ranges turn perpendicular and run right down into the Irrawaddy delta and beyond in Myanmar and Thailand. Ensconced between these ranges, the forests of the northeast pack their tropical character in the temperate latitudes. As if to compensate, in the tropical latitudes of peninsular south India, the higher ridges of the Western Ghats rise to become temperate sky islands. Thus the shola forest plus grassland ecosystem of the upper Western Ghats plateaus add as much to the India’s forest matrix as the tropical rainforests in the lower-level valleys. Stretching over the Deccan Plateau, the dry and moist-deciduous teak and sal forests of the central plateau and the Eastern Ghats complement the mosaic of forest types in the country. In the southern reaches of the Eastern Ghats it is the dry evergreen forests that hold sway. The mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, Gujarat coast, Tamil Nadu coast and peri-urban Mumbai complete India’s forest mosaic. Through this series, Mongabay-India will strengthen the nuance and depth of the discussions around forests — in maintaining ecological security for ecosystems, livelihood security for communities, climate resilience and for the provision of ecosystem services.


[Interview] Forests in the sky: ATREE scientist Soubadra Devy on studying tree canopies in India

Mumbai activists demand that the tree geo-tagging information be made public

[Interview] Researcher Amit Kumar Bal on studying carnivores in the thick of Mizoram forests

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

Parliamentary panel endorses controversial changes in biodiversity law overlooking concerns

With NCR Draft Plan 2041, the sensitive Aravalis remain vulnerable

[Commentary] Restoring Indian grasslands does not require disturbing soil and planting grasses, but more science

In the name of development, Bihar is slowly losing its dense forests

[Commentary] Wild garlic extraction disturbs wildlife around the Sechu-Tuan Nullah Wildlife Sanctuary

How Punjab’s civil society prevented an ecological disaster in already polluted Ludhiana

MP’s Baigachak region, the first to receive Habitat Rights, is yet to understand what the rights mean

[Commentary] Community collaboration in field research: Notes from Meghalaya

Himachal’s ecology under pressure; around 31 forest fires per day in April-June this year

[Explainer] The good, the bad, and the ugly side of forest fires

[Commentary] What students and citizens can do about forest fires in Kodaikanal

Celebrating tiger numbers in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, while tribal residents await their rights

[Analysis] Developers should pay a higher Net Present Value for cutting forests

Two tiger reserves, two different stories of resettlement

Chhattisgarh forest fires continue while forest staff remain on strike
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
- Stubble burning is back, smothering north India with concerns for the upcoming winter
- Humans are contaminating Earth’s waterways with medicines, pharmaceutical ingredients
- Inhaling particulate matter is increasing the prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age
- Health effects of heat stress will intensify disproportionately without ambitious efforts

Almost Famous Species
- India garners international support to save two endangered freshwater turtles
- What protecting the slender loris could mean for forest communities in Tamil Nadu
- [Video] Hangul, the shy Kashmiri deer, is facing the threat of extinction as its habitat shrinks
- Identifying individual mugger crocodiles using drone technology to minimise conflicts

India's Iconic Landscapes
- 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

Beyond Protected Areas
- [Commentary] A story of two mothers from a human-elephant conflict zone in Assam
- Assam loco pilots on the need for effective communication to prevent elephant-rail collision
- [Podcast] Imprints: Digging up bones with Advait Jukar
- Helping wildlife navigate road and railway infrastructure

Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Nations adopt Global Biodiversity Framework amid concerns over watered-down targets
- [Commentary] A renewed CGIAR can better support South Asia to determine its food future
- Equitable benefit sharing of digitised genetic information to span across discussions at COP15
- Making sense of rainfall changes in Karnataka’s coffee estates through old records

Just Transitions
- Helping wildlife navigate road and railway infrastructure
- Energy transition offers a ray of hope to farmers struggling in chilly winter
- With a new policy, Odisha aims at 10 GW of renewable energy by 2030
- [Commentary] The missing caste from commons: A reflection from a Telangana village
