A unique model that harmonises sustainable aquaculture with mangrove conservation (SAIME) in West Bengal’s Sundarbans has been globally recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
The model integrates low-impact fish and shrimp farming within mangrove landscapes, that ensures that there is atleast between 5% to 30% mangrove cover inside pond embankments. The project currently spans 29.84 hectares and directly benefits 42 farmers across the South 24 Parganas district.
Farmers cultivate black tiger shrimp through tidal water exchange systems that depend on natural mangrove litter for nutrients, cutting down the requirement for artificial feed and chemicals. This has led to a two-fold rise in average net profits as compared with conventional aquaculture systems.
Another important aspect of this technology is that it has led to empowerment of women from marginalised groups in the villages. Women’s cooperatives and local self-help groups manage nursery ponds ensuring fair participation and equal pay.
The model has been supported by the State Fisheries Department and research partners and has set an example by proving to be a powerful local governance model and created a blueprint for inclusive resource management. This mangrove-based aquaculture model serves as a lifeline for both nature and people and combines traditional ecological knowledge with modern sustainability principles (SIGMA EARTH).
Grasslands around Hesaraghatta lake — Bengaluru’s first planned drinking water source were dismissed as wastelands for years and were being eyed for real estate interests and a film city project. Hesaraghatta is an open, semi-wet, freshwater-grassland-marshland, one of the last remaining grassland-savannah-wood complexes in Bengaluru region.
The grassland has now been declared as a conservation reserve by the Karnataka state government. The area, now notified as the Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve protects 5,678 acres of land. Its notification under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, issued by the State Board for Wildlife and ratified by the state cabinet aims to protect it from urban encroachment.
About 1,912 acres of the area includes a lakebed surrounded by grassland, which hosts rich biodiversity with around 235 species of birds, 400 species of insects, and 100 species of butterflies.
This move towards the protection of Hesaraghatta sets an example of how nature can be understood and valued in urban areas in India (Mongabay, India).
Hundreds of fishers, mostly adivasis organised a rally to protest against a proposed floating solar power project on the Panchet dam located across the river Damodar, along the border of the eastern states of West Bengal and Jharkhand.
The Damodar Valley Corporation owns and operates the Panchet dam, where floating solar power projects of 105 MW capacity are in the pipeline with other higher capacity projects awaiting the tender process. The Corporation covers an area of about 24,235 square kilometres in Jharkhand and West Bengal, and includes other dams at Tilaiya, Konar, Maithon, and Panchet.
Fishers depend on the dam’s waters for their livelihoods and argue that nearly 1,500 families of three panchayats in Nituria block – Sarabari, Raibandh, and Guniara – earn their living by fishing from the reservoir and the fishers fear that the solar power project will make fishing impossible. While the corporation officials have assured the fisherfolk of alternative livelihood options through cage fishing, the fishers allege that the proposals lack clarity (The Scroll).
A recent Central Water Commission (CWC) report finds that glacial lakes and other water bodies in the Himalayan region have expanded by 9.24 percent over the past 14 years with their area having increased from 5.30 lakh hectares in 2011 to 5.79 lakh hectares in 2025. One thousand four hundred and thirty five glacial lakes and water bodies show an increase in their water spread area, while 1,008 show a decrease over a 14-year period. This expansion of glacial lakes is one of the most visible signs of global warming in the region.
Of the 428 glacial lakes that show expansion, 133 are in Ladakh, 50 in Jammu and Kashmir, 13 in Himachal Pradesh, seven in Uttarakhand, 44 in Sikkim, and 181 in Arunachal Pradesh. Within India, the total water spread area of glacial lakes has increased from 1,995 hectares in 2011 to 2,445 hectares in 2025, registering a 22.56 percent rise, according to the CWC report.
Increase in lake sizes can raise the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) -- sudden floods caused by the breach of unstable moraine dams, which can cause extensive downstream damage (NDTV.com)
Pallikaranai marsh, a stretch of wetland once buried under garbage in Chennai is quietly getting back to life and the credit for this revival goes to Jayshree Vencatesan, whose decades-long campaign turned the forgotten swamp around. She has been awarded the Ramsar Wetland Wise Use Award for her exemplary work in reviving the wetland and for triggering the movement that has reshaped how cities like Chennai value their land, and water future.
Pallikaranai covered more than 5,000 hectares or 12,350 acres of land earlier, but only 1,247 hectares remain today of which about 500 to 600 are in functional marsh condition. The wetland is connected to the sea and acts as a natural sponge absorbing monsoon floodwaters, filtering runoff, and releasing water gradually into the city’s aquifers. The marsh has endured decades of urban encroachment, infrastructure development, and environmental neglect.
When Dr. Vencatesan first visited Pallikaranai about two decades ago, the marsh was a dumping ground for construction debris and other waste. Dr. Vencatesan along with other scientists began mapping the marsh, documenting biodiversity, tracking encroachments, and built a case for the marsh’s protection. Local communities and scientists soon got together and created the Save Pallikaranai Marshland Forum. The Tamil Nadu government soon declared a portion of the marsh a protected forest and the Pallikaranai eco park, with walkways, opened in December 2021. The marsh has now been recognized under the Ramsar Convention for its international ecological importance (The Christian Science Monitor).
This is a roundup of news updates from 15th October 2025 to 31st October 2025. Read our policy updates here.