Mahua: The Magic Tree of Life
Abhijit Dey Round Glass Sustain | July 30, 2025 The mahua tree may be famous for the potent indigenous liquor made from its flowers, but for many forest-dependent communities, the tree is also a source of oil, medicine, insecticide, livestock feed, and has even served as famine survival food
Efforts to Restore Mangroves Can Turn the Tide on India’s Coastal Security
Priya Ranganathan The Hindu | July 26, 2025 Across India’s coasts, from the languid channels of the Sundarbans delta to Mumbai’s stifled creeks, mangroves form a barrier between land and sea. These coastal forests are critical in India’s pursuit of climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and the empowerment of coastal communities.
Milk, Moonwalks and Icebergs: the Metaphors of Luni
Hassan S Islam Veditum India Foundation | July 24, 2025 we found the river sustaining with green vegetation, trees and farmlands. Sometimes, even patches of water. It was neither a river in the conventional sense, nor was it just an arid scar in the desert landscape.
By Invitation: Why India must protect its open natural ecosystems
Abi Tamim Vanak and Anuja Malhotra Bangalore Mirror | July 16, 2025 Deserts are often misunderstood as failed ecosystems—barren, lifeless expanses in need of redemption. Popular imagination and policy alike view these arid landscapes as degraded zones to be greened through afforestation or irrigation. However, deserts are far from broken. They are ancient, biologically rich […]
Contesting the future of forest governance
Gautam Aredath, sharachchandra Lele The Hindu | July 16, 2025 Chhattisgarh forest department issued a letter designating itself as the nodal agency for implementing community forest resource rights (CFRR) under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. CFRR, a transformative provision of the FRA, recognises the right of gram sabhas to manage their customary forests. It […]
Why Must India Recognise Its Open Ecosystems?
Abi Tamim Vanak, Anuja Malhotra The Hindu | July 14, 2025 Deserts are often imagined as failures of nature, and barren wastelands in need of redemption. This worldview fuels grand ambitions to “green” the desert, through afforestation, irrigation schemes, or even climate engineering. This gives way to the idea that deserts are broken ecosystems.
Springs of Gangtok: Hidden Veins of the City
Niharika Bindal Sikkim express | July 13, 2025 Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, is known for its scenic landscapes, rich biodiversity, and natural water sources. Among these, springs locally called dharas have always been a vital part of the city’s everyday life. These springs, fed by rainfall and groundwater recharge, provide water for drinking, household […]
Tracking Otters Along the Cauvery
Seshadri K S Deccan Herald | July 10, 2024 A documentary on otters reveals the connections between rivers, wildlife, and human livelihoods, showing why biodiversity conservation must extend beyond national parks
Perception vs Reality: is Free Filtered Water at Restaurants a Safe and Plastic-free Choice?
Priyanka Jamwal, Durba Biswas Citizen Matters | July 8, 2025 Across urban India, environmental awareness is increasing, and one of the ways people practise their commitment to minimise their environmental footprint is by reducing their plastic waste. In restaurants, where the sale of plastic bottles and free “filtered water” are both ubiquitous, the decision regarding […]
A Sanctuary for Fish and a Future for the River is Shivanasamudram’s Conservation Story
Anirban Roy Down To Earth | July 8, 2025 WASI has implemented several tree-planting initiatives along selected riparian sites to enhance habitat quality and ecosystem resilience. One notable effort is a 3-acre restoration project at Malligemaradahalla Lake, a unique swamp wetland at SFS that supports diverse aquatic species. However, the SFS, located downstream of multiple […]
