When the Rains Miss ‘ashar’: El Niño, a Shifting Monsoon, and the Smallholder Sowing Window
On May 15, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that the southwest monsoon would reach Kerala by May 26, five days ahead of the usual date. It arrived on June 4, three days late. That nine-day gap, at the coarsest scale the monsoon is tracked, an entire coastline rather than one farmer’s field, is this […]
What the Western Ghats Map Leaves Out
The piece examines the Centre’s State-by-State notification of the Western Ghats ecologically sensitive area (ESA), built on the Kasturirangan Committee’s 2013 split between “natural” and “cultural” landscape. It argues that the boundary excludes the most populated, plantation-dominated, and landslide-prone slopes from protection, and that the same areas also lack Community Forest Resource rights under the […]
The Neem Patent Case and India’s Next Battle Over Traditional Knowledge [commentary]
Most public discussion of biopiracy still focuses on the misappropriation of specific biological resources: a plant compound, a seed variety, or a fermentation culture. The legal response has focused correspondingly on access and benefit-sharing rules, prior art databases, and geographical indication protections. These instruments work, imperfectly, for that kind of theft.
It’s the Small Things | City Walls
Dozens of street-preneurs use the by-lane walls to advertise their services and wares – on the extreme opposite of the spectrum, things we absolutely need.
Forest-edge Communities Contribute to Biodiversity Conservation While Bearing Heavy Costs. India’s Conservation Framework Should Recognise This
Protected landscapes can generate hidden costs for farming communities by disrupting long-standing ecological linkages. The transition to chemical-intensive agriculture reflects not only changing aspirations but also the erosion of forest-agriculture interactions. Sustainable agriculture in conservation landscapes depends on restoring the social-ecological foundations that once made low-input farming viable.
An Ecologist’s Notes on Deep-Sea Diving
As a terrestrial ecologist, I had been comfortable on terra firma. My fascination and knowledge of the marine world largely came from watching the ‘Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau’ broadcast on Doordarshan in the 1990s. I purchased a pair of prescription swimming goggles and learned to tread water in our university pool. Accompanied by my […]
Beyond Plantations, a Truly Resilient Bengaluru
Bengaluru’s urban expansion has come at the cost of its ecological commons. These include the permeable surfaces of its tank networks, dry deciduous forests, and open natural ecosystems. Over the last 20 years, the city has reportedly witnessed a 1.5°C increase in average temperatures and lost around 65 lakes. Over 50 years, the loss is reported to […]
Life Along the Edge of India’s Grand Canyon
I stand at the edge of a precipice, staring out into a maze of golden cliffs and the sparkling blue of the Pennar River far below. The cliffs of Gandikota are steep, jagged in places, soaring straight up with no crevices in sight in others. Around the canyon’s walls, the Erramala Hills of Andhra Pradesh […]
Cycling in the city? That’s no walk in the park
Parks and lakes are the city’s last few public spaces meant to be accessible to all, and yet, they have been monopolised by those going there for a walk or a run.
