Ecology and Environment

Featured Articles
December 16, 2022 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 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 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 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 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 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)
Wildlife Board panel not to consider projects in and around protected areas
Policy matters this week Posted on 11 Nov, 2015 08:23 PM

Panel not to consider projects until eco-zones are clearly demarcated

Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan (Source: Vasundhara Deogawanka via IWP Flickr Photos)
Mansarovar or Gaumukh: Which is the source of the Ganga?
News this week Posted on 03 Nov, 2015 12:11 PM

NIH scientists to probe if Mansarovar is the source of Ganga

Bhagirathi river at its source, Gaumukh (Source: IWP Flickr Photo)
20 sq.km forest area to be diverted for “blue and green, environment-friendly capital city” Amaravati
Policy matters this week Posted on 03 Nov, 2015 12:00 PM

Centre to allow diversion of a whooping 20 sq.km. forest area for Andhra's new capital

An undisturbed forest (Source: IWP Flickr Photo)
Rooftop rainwater harvesting at Chhattisgarh school reduces absenteeism
The film “Rainwater Harvesting: From books to fields”, showcases how rooftop rainwater harvesting can also bring about social and economic change. Posted on 02 Nov, 2015 01:00 PM

Chhattisgarh ranked number 1 in the country for providing domestic water connections in 2014-15 under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).

Rainwater harvesting tank at Madiya Kachar village school
Sustainable practices in slash-and-burn lands in Nagaland
Jhum or shifting cultivation has been criticised regarding its ecological and economic impacts. UNDP takes on the challenge by introducing integrated farm development practices. Posted on 01 Nov, 2015 11:02 AM

A thick smog and haze eclipse the sun all through the day when jhum areas are burnt. Jhum, known as shifting cultivation a practice practice inv

Shifting cultivation lands (Source: Prashant N S, 2006, Wikimedia)
Why seeds sprout 'hope'
Seeds are not a just a gateway to the future but also a link between our today & tomorrow, and a harbinger of hope, says Biju Negi of Beej Bachao Andolan. Posted on 31 Oct, 2015 05:09 PM

Beej Bachao Andolan (Save the Seed Movement) is not an organisation nor is it a registered entity. It does not take on projects nor does it crave funding.

Forests, water & seeds are all interconnected (Source: India Water Portal)
Moving from the Kyoto protocol to INDCs: India's plan to address climate change
India says it should not be treated at par with developed and emerging economies by detailing the developmental deficits and disparities its people face in access to basic needs. Posted on 30 Oct, 2015 10:57 PM

Four years ago, the international community at the Durban climate summit agreed to establish an international binding climate agreement as the current Kyoto protocol is set to expire in 2020. Closer to the Paris summit, countries were to prepare a post-2020 action plan on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Climate Change (Source: Sourabh Phadke on IWP Flickr Photo)
Adapting to floods and improving lifestyles could give us some clues to finding an alternative to embankments
Dr David Molden, Director General, ICIMOD, talks to Monoj Gogoi on his visit to flood-affected Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts of Assam and Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. Posted on 29 Oct, 2015 01:46 PM

Dr Molden, you have visited Dihiri in Dhemaji district and Borsala in Lakhimpur districts. Both these villages are the worst flood affected villages of the region. You also interacted with the communities in these two villages. What was the purpose of this visit? Please share your experiences.

In conversation with Dr Molden (Source: Monoj Gogoi)
Environment Ministry to review Critically Polluted Areas
Policy matters this week Posted on 26 Oct, 2015 09:57 PM

Environment Ministry gets strict towards the compliance of green norms

CSEB power plant in Korba (Source: IWP Flickr Photo)
Srinagar's Dal Lake shrinks by 36% in the last 37 years
News this week Posted on 26 Oct, 2015 09:43 PM

Study shows half of Srinagar's water bodies have disappeared in the past century

Dal Lake in Srinagar (Source: McKay Savage via Wikipedia)
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