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)
Forests, the fast disappearing treasure troves of forest dwellers
Rapidly disappearing forests are not only a threat to the biodiversity, but spell death knell for the livelihoods of forest dwellers who depend on them for food and survival.
Prashanti Pradhan
Mithilesh Singh
Posted on 08 Oct, 2020 08:08 AM

Forests are disappearing at a fast rate in India.
Dried mahua flowers (Image Source: Pankaj Oudhia via Wikimedia Commons)
Poor implementation of forest rights act hurts tribals
Need to recognise the rights of forest-dwelling and tribal communities over their traditional lands.
Amita Bhaduri
Posted on 02 Oct, 2020 10:35 PM

In pre-colonial times, India’s forestlands were mostly under the use of the local communities. Forest policies led to centralisation in colonial times with forestland being subject to commercial over-exploitation for revenue generation purposes. This, in turn, led to land alienation of forest dwellers and an overall increase in deforestation.
Indigenous groups that lived and helped maintain the forests for centuries have been undermined (Image: Baiga women, Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0)
Is the draft EIA notification 2020 anti-environment?
The draft notification is alleged to dilute the process and standards for environmental clearances for industries.
Arjun Kumar
Posted on 30 Aug, 2020 04:48 PM

Economic development and creation of jobs have been India’s most critical challenges, and continue to be an overriding priority for the government. India’s rise in the World Bank’s global ranking on the ease of doing business is complemented with a successive downturn in its position on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) from 2014 to 2019.
Villager looking at mining devastated areas in Goa (Image: Frederik Noronha; Wikimedia Commons; CC A-S A 4.0 International)
Next phase of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban to focus on water treatment
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 25 Aug, 2020 08:26 PM

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban: Next phase to focus on water treatment and toilet waste disposal
Next phase of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban to focus on water treatment (Image source: India Water Portal)
When solving one problem triggers another
Use of guppy fish to control mosquito populations in water bodies has given rise to another problem - that of its negative impact on native freshwater diversity.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Sameer Padhye
Posted on 06 Aug, 2020 06:56 PM

Come monsoons and vector borne diseases start making headlines every year in many parts of India, especially mosquito borne diseases like dengue, malaria, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis.

What are vector borne diseases
Guppies for mosquito control (Image Source: Rchampagne via Wikimedia Commons)
Green court slams centre over groundwater withdrawal in dry areas
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 23 Jul, 2020 09:24 AM

NGT slams centre over groundwater extraction in dry areas
A well in Rajasthan (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Environmentalists voice concerns against the draft EIA notification 2020
Policy matters this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 09 Jul, 2020 11:33 AM

Draft EIA notification 2020 attracts criticism from experts
Work in progress in coal mines in Jharsuguda (Image source: IWP Flickr album)
Water fleas can warn of water pollution!
Water fleas, tiny organisms found in water can help save rivers! Read this interview with freshwater biologist, Dr Sameer Padhye, to know how.
Aarti Kelkar Khambete
Posted on 02 Jul, 2020 07:29 PM

Water fleas are small crustaceans widely found in varied aquatic habitats. They are very sensitive to changes in the water quality of water bodies such as rivers and streams that they inhabit.
Water fleas can warn of water pollution (Image Source: Sameer Padhye)
Protecting mangroves, to deal with cyclones
Mangroves not only help India economically by protecting coastal assets during cyclones, but also help by protecting people in densely populated coastal areas.
Pelayo Menéndez et al
Posted on 23 Jun, 2020 04:36 PM

Coastal flooding is rising in India and recent evidence shows that as high as 36 million Indians will be at the risk of chronic flooding by 2050.
Mangroves of the Sundarbans. (Source: Nature Environment & Wildlife Society - NEWS)
Dams spell doom for freshwater fish
A global study finds that freshwater fish suffer more due to fragmentation and loss of connectivity of rivers due to building of dams.
Valerio Barbarossa et al
Posted on 19 Jun, 2020 08:27 AM

Dams threaten freshwater biodiversity
Dams can threaten biodiversity (Image Source: India Water Portal)
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