Biodiversity

Featured Articles
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)
June 27, 2022
Poisoned wetlands, toxic fish
Heavy metal pollution is poisoning the East Kolkata wetlands, affecting fish and posing a threat to the health of humans who depend on this fish for their food. Urgent action is needed!
Fishermen use wastewater in Kolkata to rear fish (Image Source: India Water Portal)
June 15, 2022
Damned by pollution, doomed by beautification
The River Front Development project planned by the PMC is nothing but a cosmetic makeover for the already choked Mula Mutha river in Pune, argues Dr Gurudas Nulkar while speaking to the India Water Portal.
The highly polluted and encroached Mula Mutha river in Pune (Image: Alexey Komarov via Wikimedia Commons)
June 4, 2022
Conserving India’s freshwater ecosystems: A shared vision
Freshwater ecosystems in India are in peril. We invite comments on this vision document by TNC-India, FES and Ooloi labs that highlights future actions needed to save them.
Freshwater ecosystems, in peril! (Image Source: The Nature Conservancy, India)
May 10, 2022
India’s fantastic freshwater fauna and where to find them
Freshwater ecosystems are not mere sources of water, they are treasure troves of biodiversity. Know more about the fascinating and diverse animal species that inhabit freshwater habitats in India.
Freshwater ecosystems, treasure troves of biodiversity (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Climate change hits Northeast bamboo crop
News this week: Climate change hits bamboo crop in the Northeast, people in Himachal reject EIA report on dams on the Satluj and marine pollution results in economic losses.
Ravleen Kaur
Posted on 15 Dec, 2013 09:18 PM

Climate change affects bamboo production in the Northeast
Bamboo hit by climate change Source: Wikimedia
South Delhi gets 'smoked'
The Timarpur Okhla Waste to Energy (WtE) power plant, lauded as the most successful in India, brazenly pollutes the environment. Residents' plea to the Government and NGT falls on deaf ears.
Sabita Kaushal
Ravleen Kaur
Posted on 15 Dec, 2013 09:17 PM

Blue facades line the Sukhdev Vihar colony in South Delhi, considered plush by Delhi standards. They are in place to shield houses from layers of soot that would otherwise settle on their walls and grills. Soot from a power plant that began operations almost two years ago.
Facades protect houses from soot
Migratory birds return to Sultanpur lake
News this week: migratory birds return to Sultanpur lake (Gurgaon district), groundwater level dips in Maharashtra and Kerala grows saline-resistant rice after 25 years.
Ravleen Kaur
Posted on 09 Dec, 2013 07:00 AM

At Sultanpur, migratory birds visit an artificial lake
Sultanpur bird sanctuary Source: Wikipedia
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.
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