Biodiversity

Featured Articles

Forest fire (Source: Abdul Rashid)
Saturday, 15 December 2018 17:54
Green gold on fire
The film Green Gold on Fire provides insights into the impacts of forest fire on communities and environment in Jammu and Kashmir.
Uday Mandrekar (Source: Shashank Bhosale)
Friday, 14 December 2018 21:33
The Birdman of Chorao
The documentary, Birdman of Chorao tells the story of Uday Mandrekar’s selfless efforts in protecting the mangroves in Chorao.
India will see more droughts in the future. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Thursday, 13 December 2018 12:25
Dealing with droughts
There are many reasons why we see more droughts in India these days. Here is all the information that you need to know droughts better.
The Erai river (Source: India Water Portal)
Friday, 30 November 2018 10:56
The tragic tale of Erai
The polluted Erai river needs to be restored before it completely dies and leaves the people dependent on it searching for drinking water.
A view of the Himalayas. (Source: IWP Flickr photos--photo for representation purpose only)
Saturday, 3 November 2018 8:33
The unique Himalayan wetlands
The Himalayan wetlands are under threat due to unregulated urbanisation and unsustainable tourism. Urgent attention at the policy level is the need of the hour.
Auli Bugyal, a meadow in Uttarakhand. Auli Bugyal, a meadow in Uttarakhand. (Photo courtesy: Sandeep Brar Jat via Wikimedia Commons)
Monday, 17 September 2018 12:05
Sacred groves, the water wizards of Uttarakhand
A study from Uttarakhand finds that water from sacred groves conforms to all WHO standards of potability and is of better quality than water from surrounding areas.
  • NGT adamant on committees to manage biodiversity
    NGT seeks report on constitution of Biodiversity Management Committees The National Green Tribunal has ordered the environment ministry to submit a report on the constitution of Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) at the local level in every state within three months. Taking note of blatant no...
    swatiposted 2 days 1 hour agoread more
  • In conversation with nature
    “There is a special type of black ant that is visible just before (and during) the onset of heavy rains. They start coming out of the ground in large numbers with their eggs in their mouths and only travel in a straight line, like a railway track,” informs Chandrika Mahato, a keen observer of ...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 1 week 3 days agoread more
  • River conservation efforts need to be prioritised
    Odisha is home to 11 major rivers of which many are interstate rivers such as the Mahanadi. As climate change makes extreme rainfall events more frequent in the state, there is an urgent need to better manage the rivers and their basins. Most of these rivers are faced with conflicts arising from iss...
    Amita Bhaduriposted 2 weeks 6 days agoread more
  • What’s forest governance without local hand
    The recent news on the forced eviction of more than 1,000,000 tribal and other forest-dwelling households from 16 states by a Supreme Court order has again brought the long-debated issue of the role of the state and the community in forest governance to the forefront. The order comes in response to ...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 3 weeks 3 days agoread more
  • Bullet train project worries activists
    Activists seek President, PM intervention to protect mangrove trees in Maharashtra Environmental groups Nature Connect and Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishtan (SEAP) have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect 53,465 mangrove trees from destruction by the bull...
    swatiposted 4 weeks 1 day agoread more
  • Could the water towers of Asia be drying up soon?
    The Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) cover 3500 kms across eight countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. Commonly described as the “water towers for Asia” the HKH are the source of 10 major rivers including the mighty Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Ind...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 1 month 3 days agoread more
  • Protecting Surajpur wetland
    The migratory bird season is in full swing and avid bird watchers have flocked to Surajpur wetland to sight the charismatic Common Teal, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Pochard, Bar-headed Goose, Greylag Goose, Northern Shoveler and Gadwall. It is noon and some birds can be seen resting and preenin...
    Amita Bhaduriposted 1 month 1 week agoread more
  • Hazardous waste rules amended
    Centre amends hazardous and other wastes rules 2016 to ban import of solid plastic waste In order to include the prohibition on the import of solid plastic waste even in special economic zones (SEZ) and by export-oriented units (EOU), the environment ministry has amended the Hazardous and...
    swatiposted 1 month 1 week agoread more
  • Pollution affects Ganga's riverbed sediment: Study
    Not just surface water, pollution leads to deficit in dissolved oxygen in Ganga's riverbed sediment: Study A study conducted by the researchers at the Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi has found that the excess pollution in the Ganga river is not only polluting the water but ...
    swatiposted 1 month 3 weeks agoread more
  • Earth not for humans alone: NGT to Assam
    NGT takes a stand on Deepor Beel During the hearing of a petition filed by Right to Information activist Rohit Choudhury on Deepor Beel, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has remarked that the earth is not for humans alone and that all creatures, including wildlife, have a right over it. The tribun...
    swatiposted 1 month 3 weeks agoread more
  • Can we gain from changing rains?
    India is undergoing a major transition with changes in rainfall patterns leading to increased frequency of droughts, floods, heat waves amidst fear of a major water crisis in the years to come. Why are these threats increasing? Head of Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Climate Application a...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 2 months 2 weeks agoread more
  • Sunderbans tagged under Ramsar Convention
    Indian Sunderbans gets recognition under Ramsar Convention on Wetlands  The Indian side of the Sunderbans has been recognised as the Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. After the East Kolkata Wetlands, which got the tag in 2002, Sunderbans has become t...
    swatiposted 2 months 2 weeks agoread more
  • Committee for action against water contamination
    Devise time-bound plan to address water contamination: Parliamentary committee Taking note of arsenic and fluoride contamination in groundwater of over 25,000 habitations across the country, the parliamentary committee has asked the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) to come up ...
    swatiposted 3 months 1 week agoread more
  • Gangetic river dolphin habitats under threat
    A five-year study conducted in the Sundarbans region has found that the rising water salinity level is threatening the habitat of Gangetic river dolphins.  The survey was conducted in the lower stretch of river Hooghly, covering a 97-km stretch of the western, central and eastern Sundarbans in...
    arathiposted 3 months 2 weeks agoread more
  • Out of 41 study points, the Ganga clean at only one
    Out of 41 study points, the Ganga clean only at the Haridwar barrage location: CPCB In compliance with the Supreme Court order, the Central Pollution Control Board has released the “Biological Water Quality Assessment of the River Ganga” report. As per the report, out of the 41 locations monito...
    swatiposted 4 months 21 hours agoread more
  • Gujarat drought: Centre aid sought
    Gujarat seeks financial aid of Rs 1,725 crore from the Centre for drought relief works  In the wake of droughts in several parts of the state, the Gujarat government has sought Rs 1,725 crore from the Centre to take up relief works. This year, Gujarat received just 73.87 percent of the average...
    swatiposted 4 months 1 week agoread more
  • The Naga Pride
    Amur falcons are among the strongest fliers in the avian world. Since the last 25 years, they have been migrating to the Northeast especially Nagaland from Siberia en route to their final destination—Somalia, Kenya and South Africa.  In 2013, the researchers estimated that between 1,20,...
    makarandpurohitposted 4 months 1 week agoread more
  • Green gold on fire
    Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India where forest fires are reported almost every season. As per Indian state of forest report 2017, India saw a 46 percent increase in the number of forest fires in the last 16 years. Forest fires not only affect the flora and fauna of the region bu...
    makarandpurohitposted 4 months 1 week agoread more
  • The Birdman of Chorao
    Uday Mandrekar (40) is a popular boatman on the Chorao island of Goa. He is known for his formidable knowledge on birds in the area so much so that he is often referred to as the bird man of Chorao. He is a private boatman and a tourist guide who can take you deep into the mangroves and waterways of...
    makarandpurohitposted 4 months 1 week agoread more
  • Dealing with droughts
    Droughts are one of the most feared natural calamities in India impacting food production, the economy as well as the morale of millions of farmers in a country where agriculture is the livelihood of 60 percent of the population. This year too, 255 districts of the country have received deficient o...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 4 months 2 weeks agoread more

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Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Wed, 2019-04-24 10:46
Policy matters this week

NGT seeks report on constitution of Biodiversity Management Committees

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Posted By : aarti kelkar kh...
Posted Date : Mon, 2019-04-15 17:42
This study from Bihar shows that official flood prediction systems are often inadequate to understand the true impact of the floods on the population. Local gendered knowledge can help fill this gap.

“There is a special type of black ant that is visible just before (and during) the onset of heavy rains. They start coming out of the ground in large numbers with their eggs in their mouths and only travel in a straight line, like a railway track,” informs Chandrika Mahato, a keen observer of nature, when asked how he predicts rains and floods.

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Posted By : Amita Bhaduri
Posted Date : Fri, 2019-04-05 14:06
Healthy forests are necessary for healthy rivers and prosperous communities that depend on the river, say experts.

Odisha is home to 11 major rivers of which many are interstate rivers such as the Mahanadi. As climate change makes extreme rainfall events more frequent in the state, there is an urgent need to better manage the rivers and their basins. Most of these rivers are faced with conflicts arising from issues of flood control, sharing water and hydropower, diversion of water for industries and flood control. These problems are frequently aggravated by the unforeseen consequences of continual human interference in the river basins.

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Posted By : aarti kelkar kh...
Posted Date : Tue, 2019-04-02 11:42
Multilayered governance and involvement of forest dwellers in the decision making processes can go a long way in managing our forests better.

The recent news on the forced eviction of more than 1,000,000 tribal and other forest-dwelling households from 16 states by a Supreme Court order has again brought the long-debated issue of the role of the state and the community in forest governance to the forefront.

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Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Wed, 2019-03-27 15:15
News this week

Activists seek President, PM intervention to protect mangrove trees in Maharashtra

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Posted By : aarti kelkar kh...
Posted Date : Sun, 2019-03-24 11:03
As climate change and urbanisation threaten water security in the HKH region, there is an urgent need for good water governance.

The Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) cover 3500 kms across eight countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

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Posted By : Amita Bhaduri
Posted Date : Wed, 2019-03-13 17:29
Surajpur wetland faces the threat of habitat loss because of the proliferating real estate development in the area.

The migratory bird season is in full swing and avid bird watchers have flocked to Surajpur wetland to sight the charismatic Common Teal, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Pochard, Bar-headed Goose, Greylag Goose, Northern Shoveler and Gadwall. It is noon and some birds can be seen resting and preening their feathers in the morning while others are skittish and hide in the tall grasses or in the dense thicket of trees. Some other birds can be seen wading in the shallow waters. One can catch a glimpse of nests teetering on the treetops.

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Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Wed, 2019-03-13 15:34
Policy matters this week

Centre amends hazardous and other wastes rules 2016 to ban import of solid plastic waste

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Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Wed, 2019-03-06 08:45
News this week

Not just surface water, pollution leads to deficit in dissolved oxygen in Ganga's riverbed sediment: Study

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Authored By :
Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Wed, 2019-03-06 08:17
Policy matter this week

NGT takes a stand on Deepor Beel

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All Articles

India's water woes need urgent attention. (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Thursday, 25 April 2019 12:04
Water management: Still a neglected electoral issue?
Ganga river at Gadmukteshwar (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Wednesday, 24 April 2019 14:21
High proportion of antibacterial agents in Ganga: Study
A negelcted wetland in Punjab (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Wednesday, 24 April 2019 10:46
NGT adamant on committees to manage biodiversity
Crop irrigation with groundwater, powered by electricity in Gujarat. (Image: Tesh, Wikimedia Commons, CC-4.0A-ShareAlike-International)
Tuesday, 23 April 2019 19:12
Groundwater depletes in north and east India