Ecology and Environment

Featured Articles
December 16, 2022
Healthy soil critical to human health and for achieving SDGs
Soil research must focus both on technology development and implementation
The ability of soils to support soil functions or services is decreasing (Image: Katrin Park/International Food Policy Research Institute)
November 25, 2022
Categorising watersheds for freshwater ecosystem conservation in India
These maps at the watershed scales have been made to not only ensure inclusion of different freshwater ecosystems, their connectivity and hydrological processes, but can also provide a spatial context for conservation decisions.
A stream at Anini, Arunachal Pradesh (Image Source: Roshni Arora)
November 16, 2022
Improving community resilience in ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction in India
Adoption of hybrid solutions - grey and green structures appropriate for resilience building
Healthy wetland ecosystems help in reducing disaster risks and managing climate risks (Image: Pxhere)
October 30, 2022
Slow disaster: Political ecology of hazards and everyday life in the Brahmaputra valley, Assam
This book by Dr. Mitul Baruah presents a fascinating, ethnographic account of the challenges faced by communities living in Majuli, India, one of the largest river islands in the world, which has experienced immense socio-environmental transformations over the years, processes that are emblematic of the Brahmaputra Valley as a whole. This is an excerpt from the book.
Floods are recurrent phenomena in Assam (Image: Mitul Baruah)
October 6, 2022
Deteriorating landscapes and threatened ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir
Rapid urbanisation and faulty land use policies are rapidly destroying forests, grasslands and wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir, India and the ecosystem value services they provide. Can these valuable ecosystems be saved?
Deteriorating ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir, India (Image Source: tkohli at Flickr via Wikimedia Commons)
July 14, 2022
Ichamati: River of poetry is dying a slow death
The river is faced with the dual problem of flood plain encroachment and growing levels of water pollution
Illegal transverse check dams (Badhals) built on Ichamati near a village in Basirhat (Image: Prithviraj Nath @ TheWaterChronicles)
Ichamati: River of poetry is dying a slow death
The river is faced with the dual problem of flood plain encroachment and growing levels of water pollution
Akshat Mishra
Posted on 14 Jul, 2022 07:01 PM

River Ichamati is venerated as a living entity and its fertile flood plains have been catering to the expanding human-mediated demands apart from harbouring an enormous assemblage of aquatic flora and fauna.
Illegal transverse check dams (Badhals) built on Ichamati near a village in Basirhat (Image: Prithviraj Nath @ TheWaterChronicles)
How effective is Malki practice for conserving Gujarat’s Dang forests?
Green cover density in 74% area of Dang forests increased during 2001–18
Dinesh Dasa
Shobhalata Udapudi
Anurag Kandya
Posted on 11 Jul, 2022 06:44 PM

Considering the global trend of alarming deforestation, it is very important to study various forest management strategies to understand their effectiveness and limitations. It is important to conserve the forests, but the economic sustainability of the people directly linked with the forests cannot be ignored.
(Image: Jenis Patel, Wikimedia)
Can circular economy strategies mitigate climate change in Delhi?
Application of circular economy framework for reducing the impacts of climate change
Hemant Bherwani
Moorthy Nair
Amol Niwalkar
Dhanya Balachandran
Rakesh Kumar
Posted on 09 Jul, 2022 03:04 PM

In light of the Paris Agreement 2015 and the emerging government-wide policies towards initiating a transition from linear to circular economy, it has become critical to investigate the potential impact of circular economy strategies on climate change.
Integrating ReSOLVE strategy within the priority sectors ensued a reduction in carbon and material footprint by 0.18–15.7% and 5.3–25% respectively (Image: PxHere; CC0 Public Domain)
Extreme events take 231 lives during pre-monsoon: IMD
News this fortnight
Swati Bansal
Posted on 28 Jun, 2022 02:34 PM

IMD seasonal analysis shows 231 lives lost during the pre-monsoon season due to extreme weather events
Floods during pre-monsoon season claim 81 lives this year. Photo for representation only (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
Three mining projects in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo Arand forest on hold following protests
Policy matters this fortnight
Swati Bansal
Posted on 28 Jun, 2022 08:05 AM

Chhattishgarh government puts three mining projects in Hasdeo Arand forest on idefinite hold 
A devastated forest at a coal mining site. Photo for representation only (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
Improving India's poor environmental performance
Environmental Performance Index ranks India at the bottom
Gurinder Kaur
Posted on 23 Jun, 2022 08:37 AM

On June 8, Yale University's Center for Environmental Law and Policy and Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network released a report of the Environmental Performance Index 2022. India ranked lowest among the 180 countries considered, lagging behind Myanmar at 179, Vietnam (178), Bangladesh (177) and Pakistan (176).
As per the EPI 2022 deteriorating air quality and rapidly increasing greenhouse gas emissions are the primary reasons behind the country's low score (Image: Rawpixel)
Push for sustainable substitutes for single use plastics
Seven startups working on sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics in the food and beverage industry incubated by GoMassive Earth Network
Climate Angels
Posted on 22 Jun, 2022 05:23 PM

GoMassive Earth Network, an investment network for investing in startups in the sustainability space had in November 2020, GoMassive launched Climate Angels, which is an early-stage investment syndication platform for pollution reduction and climate tech.
Mobile refill stations help Mumbai's citizens go zero-waste (Image: BetterIndia)
Sustainable investing to surge to US$125 billion in India by 2026
Sustainability investments in India will make up around 40% of AuM by 2026, from the current 15%, as per a report by Benori Knowledge
Benori Knowledge
Posted on 18 Jun, 2022 09:59 AM

Climate change consciousness has led to global investment firms prioritising sustainable investments, not only for long-term financial returns but to also provide positive social effects.
Sectors attracting sustainable investments are renewable energy, e-mobility, agritech and waste management (Image: Roadlight, Pixabay)
A community-led landslide prediction system in India
In a first-of-its-kind disaster prevention initiative, a meteorology-based landslide prediction system was developed as a crowdsourced science effort.
Rishika Pardikar
Posted on 14 Jun, 2022 08:53 AM

Community scientists, with the assistance of professional researchers, have developed a meteorology-based landslide prediction system for India’s Western Ghats mountain range, according to a paper published earlier this year.
Climate change is intensifying the need for a landslide prediction system based on meteorology. (Image: Western Ghats, Kerala; Source: Shagil Kannur, Wikimedia Commons)
Etalin hydroelectric project: Centre grants nod, FAC approval awaited
Policy matters this fortnight
Swati Bansal
Posted on 08 Jun, 2022 01:20 PM

Despite concerns, Etalin hydropower project gets government nod, FAC yet to give clearance
Upper Dibang Valley District, Arunachal Pradesh, India (Source: Wikipedia Commons)
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