India’s first open-access database of native plant germination methods launched
Restoring ecological balance is an urgent need in India as its land faces the risk of degradation and desertification. Now a new tool — India’s first open-access database of native plant germination methods promises to make this job a bit easier.
Compiled by the Ecological Restoration Alliance of India (ERA-India), this database consolidates more than 1,000 seed-germination protocols covering 465 native species. The aim is to democratise access to seed knowledge among scientists, nursery managers, students, and citizen ecologists alike to encourage them to create native plant nurseries.
Local plants are extremely resilient and can survive droughts, fires, live on river banks or grow from bare rock and survive dry, wet as well as unstable environments. However, manually growing native plants is difficult and their seeds are not commercially available. Restoration efforts are able to procure limited seeds and techniques needed for growing them are not available easily or shared only through informal networks.
ERA-India’s seed-germination database bridges this knowledge gap by providing field-tested, species specific advice on seed preparation, sowing and pre-treatment that can improve survival rates among native species (Mongabay, India).
New species of cave dwelling fish discovered in Meghalaya
Scientists have discovered a new species of cave-dwelling fish in the East Khasi Hills district. The species, named Schistura densiclava, was found inside a limestone cave near Mawjymbuin village, about 15 km from Mawsynram.
Unlike many cave-adapted fish that lose their eyesight and pigmentation over generations of isolation, Schistura densiclava has fully functional eyes and a striking body coloration. While this can help it survive both in cave environments and outside, it continues to live in underground streams in the caves. The temperature in the caves is very low and oxygen is in poor supply, but the fish continues to thrive and feeds on tiny shrimps and insect remains.
The fish shows clear sexual dimorphism and males are slimmer with irregular patterns and puffed cheeks while females are robust and show uniform markings. DNA sequencing has confirmed that the fish is a completely new species and genetically distinct from other Schistura species in the region (Syllad).
Women get together to revive a forest in Uttarakhand
Home to some 700 people, excessive grazing and tree felling had turned Manar village in Uttarakhand’s Champawat district, that once had a 12 hectare forest into barren land with dry springs. Women had to walk long distances to collect fodder and dry wood.
Bhagirathi Devi, an enterprising woman in the village decided to revive Manar’s forest and convinced other women, who came together in 2000, to form a Van Panchayat—autonomous forest management committees under the Indian Forest Act 1927. She was unanimously elected as the first sarpanch of Van Panchayat and held the post unopposed till 2024.
The women first focused on clearing and fencing parts of the forest and planting grass and fodder. They formed a Silvopasture Management Committee with the help of BAIF Development Research Foundation in Pune. Animal grazing was banned while the grass and trees grew.
Receiving a daily wage of Rs 120 from BAIF, women voluntarily deposited 10 percent of their wages for maintenance of the forest. Bhagirathi Devi was assigned to guard the forest and every house contributed Rs 20 a month for her salary. The Van Panchayat and the committee now oversee the management of the forest. Rejuvenation of the forest has also revived streams that supply adequate water to the three springs in the village, thus ending the water woes of the village (Down To Earth).
Researchers develop the first ever global river mapping system
A system that helps map the world's rivers has been developed by researchers at the University of Oxford. This first of its kind system called Global RIver Topology (GRIT) - reveals how rivers flow, branch, and connect landscapes and promises to be a greatly useful for flood prediction, climate risk planning, and water resource management in a warming world.
The frequency and intensity of floods is increasing due to erratic rainfall patterns in many parts of the world. The existing global river maps continue to be outdated and simple. Many assume that rivers flow in a single direction and overlook complex features such as the branching of river systems in densely populated, flood‐prone regions.
GRIT captures this complexity by combining high‐resolution satellite imagery of rivers with advanced elevation data of Earth's surface. It not only includes the main river channels, but also provides information on river flow directions, widths, and points where rivers split. The GRIT network has a total length of 19.6 million km and includes 67 thousand bifurcations (Phys.org).
Farmers demand separate MSP for natural farming products
When the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) was launched in November 2024, it mentioned that farmers would be provided with an easy certification system and uniform branding so that their natural farm produce could reach the market.
However, farmers practising natural farming face constraints in marketing and selling their produce directly to consumers. Experts suggest the need to come up with innovative ways of linking the market to the farmers as difficulties in storing vegetables due to the lack of cold storage facilities force farmers to sell their vegetables at the same rate as that of chemically-grown vegetables.
The agricultural policy is built around Minimum Support Price (MSP) in India and 22 crops are included in this scheme. However, there is no mention of a separate MSP in NMNF. Farmers are thus demanding for a separate system for MSP and a higher rate than chemically-produced crops (Scroll).
This is a roundup of news updates from May 16, 2025 to May 31, 2025. Read our policy updates here.