We Need to Lose Our Elitist Perspective on Forest Rights
Anuja Date, Gautam Aredath The Wire | April 18, 2025 One of the great misfortunes in India’s effort towards socially just forest conservation is the false dichotomy between conservation and the forest dwellers’ rights created by some hardline conservationists.
Biodiverse Gardens Amidst Rice Monocultures Foster Nutrition Security in India
Nivedita Arumugasamy, Madhu R. Kolkar and Shivalingappa S. Ghanti Rooted in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty | April 14, 2025 Since the late 1980s, a remarkable change has reaffirmed the potential of agroecology even amidst monocultures. Together with families, our organisations have implemented biodiverse gardens – small backyard spaces of about 40 square meters that were […]
On harvesting and gathering bioresources: Why unjust and misguided conservation vigilantism must end
Rajkamal Goswami Arunachal Times | April 12, 2025 Compared to aloo, tamatar, baingan vendors, local bioresource vendors, who are mostly women from indigenous tribal communities, always attract a lot of footfalls – because they all sell ‘local organic sobji’ as is known in common parlance.
Carbon credit Plans Must Factor in Water Security
Hindustan Times | April 7, 2025 Anuja Malhotra, Abi Tamim Vanak Despite 29 years of climate crisis talks, finance remains the key bot-tleneck for large-scale action, as multilateral treaties fail to institu-tionalise funding support. India has maintained the principle of a “com-mon, but differentiated responsibil-ity”, allowing developing countries more carbon emission leeway to meet their […]
Eucalyptus is a False Promise That Threatens India’s Grasslands
Sachin Pernacca Sashidhar Down To Earth | March 22, 2025 Eucalyptus trees are a familiar sight across Karnataka, their silvery leaves lining Bengaluru’s streets and their oils often providing relief during colds and illnesses. Introduced from Australia, they were once celebrated as a source of timber and economic promise. Yet beneath this appealing facade lies […]
At Sundown, a Sea of Turtles
Seshadri K. S. Deccan Herald | March 15, 2025 Around this time every year, tens of thousands of millions of Olive Ridleys gather near the shore. On a particular day, as if on cue, they scramble on to the beach and lay ping pong ball-sized eggs. Ecologist Seshadri K S returns with a fascinating account […]
Three Forest Villages in Eastern Maharashtra Discovered a Simple Truth During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Anirban Roy Down To Earth | February 25, 2025 Five years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic halted the world, thrusting humanity into a crisis marked by collapsing health systems, shattered livelihoods, and widespread food shortages. Yet, amidst this global upheaval, three forest-dwelling villages in the eastern part of Maharashtra— Dhamditola (Gondia district), Pachgaon (Chandrapur district), and […]
Fostering Gender-inclusive Approaches to Lake Restoration
Bengaluru, also called the Silicon Valley of India, is facing extreme weather events that make residents vulnerable to water security issues. Once known as the city of lakes, Bengaluru now faces challenges in managing and restoring its water bodies. In the last two decades the number of lakes has reportedly decreased from 262 to 81. […]
India’s Forest Surveys Conceal a Deep Institutional Failure
Sharachchandra Lele Frontline | January 21, 2025 Forest cover monitoring in India seems to be stuck in a time loop. Every two years, the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) produced by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) is released with much fanfare by the government, each time showing an infinitesimal increase in the country’s […]
Democratising Forest Governance : Challenges Old and New
Sixteen years after the Forest Rights Act, 2006, only three states have recognised a significant number of community forest resource rights, and only one of them (Maharashtra) has enabled their operationalisation. While the outcomes in Maharashtra have been impressive, violations abound elsewhere. Even where recognised, state agencies refuse to let go of their monopolies. Despite […]
