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)
A village creates magic…and a river!
Sukha Raula (dry ravine) to Gad Ganga – the transformation in Ufrenkhal
Chicu Lokgariwar
Sacchidanand Bharti
Posted on 30 Apr, 2013 09:23 AM

Ufrenkhal – the village
Driving towards Ufrenkhal, a village in Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand), I see a lush, green mountain covered with deodar, banj and utees trees. Little did I realize that this diverse and dense forest, which is alive with wildlife, is very new. 40 years ago, this vast area was a firing range!
Ufrenkhal in Uttarakhand
Biodiversity informatics in India - A bird's eye view
Prarthana Vishal writes of a recent workshop in Bangalore that highlighted the initiatives by the government and research community to map India's biodiversity resources
Prarthana Vishal
Posted on 24 Mar, 2013 12:28 PM

Biodiversity information management using informatics techniques began in 1970s and since then there have been several initiatives by taxonomists, researchers and curators across the world.
A farmer intrinsically trusts the land, says 'Timbaktu' : A national-award winning film on an organic farming movement in Andhra Pradesh
This beautifully shot film narrates the history of Timbaktu in Ananatapur District, and through it also describes the impact of the Green Revolution on the land.
Black Ticket films
Rintu Thomas
Sushmit Ghosh
Posted on 22 Mar, 2013 09:58 AM

'Timbaktu' describes the motivation, efforts and results of the Timbaktu collective started in the 1980s by Mary and Bablu Ganguly.  Just as important, it narrates the story of a couple with a dream, and how they made it come true.
Safe water for all - Some ways we can preserve this natural resource
Maya Ramaswamy shares her views on how discussing "water rights"will be meanigful only if all of us collectively contribute towards preserving and conserving our environment and in turn save our water sources
Maya Ramaswamy
Posted on 21 Mar, 2013 09:36 PM

Water rights are being discussed today as a possibility. This will lead to civil war in this country. Rights are meaningless without paying attention to duties. It is our constitutional duty to preserve and heal our environment. 

If we pay attention to freeing our waters:
Experiences from a civil society initiative to restore stretches of toxic Yamuna: Report of a conference organised by PEACE, Thames River Restoration Trust and WWF India at New Delhi in March 2013
Amita Bhaduri reports on the lessons learnt from the Thames and Ganga Twinning Project on March 1, 2013 at the India International Centre, New Delhi.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 16 Mar, 2013 09:12 PM

Dr Peter Spillet of the Thames River Restoration Trust shared that the Trust was the recipient of the 2010 Theiss International Riverprize funds on behalf of many organizations involved in the restoration work on river Thames in United Kingdom. He said that the Trust had shared the money for twinning projects in various countries including in India.
Born to fly: A video on the joy of flying in Harike, north India's largest wetland
This video deals with Harike wetland, a designated Ramsar site that has a high density of migratory water fowls.
thenitindas
Posted on 12 Mar, 2013 01:20 PM

Source of video: thenitindas
Awareness and brainstorming on urban wetlands of Maharashtra by TERI on the occasion of World Wetlands Day 2013
On the occasion of World Wetlands Day - 2013, TERI focused on identifying the need, gaps, and devising strategies for long term conservation of “Urban Wetlands” of Maharashtra, India.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Posted on 10 Mar, 2013 11:29 PM

Author: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Changing climate, changing lives - A film on the impact of climate change on agriculture in Dhulikhel, Nepal
This video echoes the voices of people experiencing the brunt of climate change in the Nepal Himalayas.
Usha Dewani
Posted on 09 Mar, 2013 12:38 PM

The story of climate change has been hijacked by snow and ice.
ATREE invites applications for its interdisciplinary PhD programme in conservation science and sustainability studies - Apply by April 25, 2013
Posted on 21 Feb, 2013 04:44 PM

ATREE Logo

Offered by

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)

About ATREE

ATREE is an environmental research organization that focuses on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. It is based in Bangalore and recognized as a PhD research centre by Manipal University. ATREE’s interdisciplinary doctoral programme is perhaps the only one in the country with faculty from across relevant natural and social science disciplines.

About the Fellowships

ATREE invites applications for admission to its Doctoral Research Programme for the academic year starting August 2013.

Applications are invited from highly motivated students with a Master’s degree in any branch of the social, natural, or engineering sciences. Students will undergo intensive course work and will be expected to undertake independent research on any environmental topic under a multi-disciplinary dissertation committee.

Students are expected to join the programme full-time and 5-year fellowships will be provided for maximum of 10 students. Fellowships range from Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 18,000 per month.

Assessing the land use change and its impact on water resources: A study on the Mula and Mutha rivers catchment area in Pune
Analysing the changes in land uses between 1989 and 2009, this paper assesses the impact on water balance in Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of the city of Pune
K Schneider
P D Wagner
S Kumar
Posted on 17 Feb, 2013 09:11 PM

Land use changes  hydrologic system and have potentially large impacts on water resources. An assessment in an area with seasonally limited water availability and which is subject to rapid socio- economic development and population growth will provide an exemplary view on the local impacts of major recent developments in India. In this backdrop this paper analyzes past land use changes between 1989 and 2009 and their impacts on the water balance in the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of Pune. The aim of the paper is:

  • assess the land use changes between 1989/1990 and 2009/2010
  • analyze the impacts of these changes on the long-term water balance components in the Mula and Mutha Rivers catchment upstream of the city of Pune.

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