Biodiversity

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Featured Articles
October 17, 2023
Waterways can disrupt riverine ecosystems 
How does barge trafficking/movement affect the ecology and biodiversity of riverine ecosystems? A study explains.
River Hooghly at Kolkata (Image Source: Yercaud-elango via Wikimedia Commons)
May 20, 2023
Seeing the ‘unseen’: a spotlight on lesser known inhabitants of freshwater ecosystems
Freshwater biologists Sameer Padhye and Avinash Vanjare talk about smaller and lesser known animals that live in freshwater ecosystems and the importance of studying them. 
Freshwater ecosystems, under threat (Image Source: Biologia Life Science LLP)
January 25, 2023
Heavy metals poison Veeranam lake in Tamil Nadu
This study found large deposits of heavy metals in the tissues and organs of water birds, crabs and fish inhabiting the lake indicating heavy metal contamination of the lake waters.
A view of the Veeranam lake in Tamil Nadu (Image Source: Giri9703 via Wikimedia Commons)
January 6, 2023
Greater Chennai Corporation to set up 'sponge parks' to prevent street flooding
News this fortnight
Natural spaces such as water bodies and vegetation in cities can act as sponges and absorb rain and prevent flooding (Image Source: IWP Flicker photos)
December 4, 2022
Small scale inland open water fisheries of India
What is the status of inland fisheries in India? Read these situational analysis reports to know about inland fisheries, the life of the fisherfolk, governance and tenure in inland fisheries and threats to the sustainability of inland fisheries.
Fishing in an irrigation canal in Kerala (Image Source: Martin Pilkinton via Wikimedia Commons)
August 2, 2022
Floods in Assam - a boon or a bane for fish diversity?
The frequency and intensity of floods is on the rise in Assam spelling doom for fish biodiversity.
Life during floods in Assam (Image Source: Kausika Bordoloi via Wikimedia Commons)
Drilling the hills to devastation
Thirty hydroelectric projects have been planned in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh. There is an immense cost to the environment and to the residents but the government isn't letting up.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 08 Dec, 2013 10:50 PM

Clear blue skies, natural springs and glacial peaks-tranquility. Falling stones, landslides and debris-chaos! Kinnaur, located on  the northeastern side of Himachal Pradesh, lets you experience both. It falls in seismic zones IV and V, which means it runs the the risk of damaging and destructive earthquakes.
100 MW Tidong-I project, Kinnaur HP
Are there greener pastures for pastoralists?
With grazing lands being utilised for development projects, more and more livestock-dependent communities are being impacted and the huge diversity of grazing practices is disappearing.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 01 Dec, 2013 08:34 PM

Pastoralist communities are those that depend primarily on livestock (domesticated animals in an agricultural setting) for their living. India has the world’s highest livestock population with 440 million livestock heads distributed over 100 million households (1) but in recent years, pastoralists have been facing threats to their way of life.
Goat rearing in Udaipur
Development or displacement?
The MP government is proposing a nuclear project in Mandala district. Villagers are wary about promises to rehabilitate since similar promises are yet unfulfilled to the Bargi dam oustees since 1990.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 01 Dec, 2013 08:30 PM

Sukal Singh is 50 years old and is the only earning person of his five-member family. Suresh Barman works as a labourer supporting a 13-member family. Bhagirat and Gorelal Bhavedi are rickshaw-pullers supporting a 7-member family each.
Bargi dam affected Patha village, MP
Think like a forest
Deforestation and climate change are only two of the issues that confront Himalayan forests today. What are the others and are there solutions to protect these forests?
Chicu Lokgariwar
Rajesh Thadani
Posted on 01 Dec, 2013 08:28 PM

Himalayan forests span a two-and-a-half thousand kilometer stretch and have a wide range of climates; they are beset by problems that need innovative solutions. Rajesh Thadani discussed these problems and possible solutions at  the Sustainable Mountain Development Summit organised in Kohima, September 2013. 

Forest cover is declining
Quality of a forest matters as much as quantity
Climate talks end in dispute
Policy matters this week: Climate change talks at Warsaw end up in dispute, a new division for the Himalayas and NHRC issues notice to the government on pollution in the Ganga.
Ravleen Kaur
Posted on 01 Dec, 2013 03:30 PM

Money deals mar climate talks in Warsaw
Unfriendly climate at Warsaw Source: Wikipedia
Their world is hot, flat and crowded
Mountain farmers are reaping greater economic benefits but that is coming at the cost of traditional crops and natural resources. How long can this type of growth be sustained?
Dr Tej PRatap Singh
Posted on 24 Nov, 2013 11:16 AM

Mountain farmers are facing a very volatile situation right now. Food crops are being replaced by cash crops, which return better dividends. Due to this, their overall economy has gotten much better. As a whole, more of them are migrating from rural to urban areas.
Terraced farming is the norm in mountain states
Money alone won't do for the mountain states
Exclusive policies, preservation of traditional practices and efficient trade linkages can help mountain farmers reap a good harvest.
Manu Moudgil
Posted on 24 Nov, 2013 11:14 AM

Can we really address the special needs of mountain states by allocating them more money? Isn't it essential that we leave the 'one size fits all' approach and recognise the exclusive challenges and opportunities which mountain farmers face as compared to farmers in the plains? 
Traditional crops need institutional support.
Athirapilly falls under threat
Another proposed power project blurs the lines between cost to environment and need for development. Will it ever cease to be a dichotomy and become a win-win situation for both?
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 23 Nov, 2013 07:54 AM

Athirappilly falls is situated 70 km from Kochi city in Kerala's Thrissur district. The 80 ft high falls is a part of the Chalakudy River and originates in the upper reaches of the Sholayar ranges in the Western Ghats. Lush greenery and little streams that cover the winding route up and down to the falls exhilarate and intimidate all at once.
Athirapilly waterfalls Source:Sangfroid, Wikimedia
Invite to a public discussion on 'Land, Water, Livestock, People and the Commons', Karnataka Rajya Amritmahal Kaval Hitarakshana Samiti, Bangalore
An event towards informing public opinion on Amritmahal Kavals, the traditional grazing pastures in the Deccan Plains of Karnataka, through conversations and debates.
Posted on 18 Nov, 2013 11:33 AM

To view more on Amritmahal Kavals, click here.

To view the original message in Kannada, please click here.

You may download the invite in English from below.
Karnataka Amritmahal Kaval Hitarakshana Samiti
United opposition to the 'Statue of Unity'
News this week: 'Statue of Unity' doesn't have environment clearance, smoke from religious ceremonies causing glacier melt and migratory birds celebrate a peaceful Diwali in Coimbatore.
Ravleen Kaur
Posted on 11 Nov, 2013 11:45 AM

Environment activists unite against the 'Statue of Unity'

Statue of Unity opposed Source: statueofunity.in
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