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.
Dynamics of Cold Arid Zones in the Hindu Kush Himalaya and their Implications for Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being
Beyond Planting Trees: Restoring Native Forest and Freshwater Ecosystems In Darjeeling Himalaya
Prior to the colonial period, large areas of the lower and middle elevations, specifically in Darjeeling were covered by extensive subtropical and temperate broad-leaf forests that formed a continuous ecological network across the hills. During British rule, the landscape underwent a profound transformation as forests were cleared to establish tea plantations, settlements, roads, and other […]
हराउँदै गएका सम्बन्धहरू: दार्जीलिङ हिमालयका वन र जल पारिस्थितिक प्रणालीहरूको पुनर्स्थापना
Mumbai is Worried About Water, but Its Control Over Mainland Dams is Depriving Others
This summer, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation implemented a 10% water cut from May 15 as levels in the seven lakes, which the city depends on, plummeted. The city had water for 45 days as of June 3, amid concerns over a weak monsoon season. Mumbai’s water problems overshadow the situation in other cities in the […]
Addressing the Threat of Zoonoses Requires Moving Beyond Biological Lenses
It needs deepening the perspective of One Health to include social and political analysis and treating zoonotic outbreaks as socio-ecological crises that demand structural solutions
Why are forest villages in Madhya Pradesh still under the control of the Forest Department eight decades after independence? [Commentary]
Even after independence, many forest villages did not become revenue villages, giving their inhabitants limited rights in land ownership, bank loans, government schemes, and local self-governance. The Forest Rights Act, 2006, provides for the conversion of forest villages into revenue villages, but the process has been slow and controversial in Madhya Pradesh. The recent SOP […]
Under Pressure: A Voyage into Vast Vembanad Lake
I was sitting on a boat enjoying the allure of Kerala’s monsoon, which I had previously only known through films and reels. As the romance of the land touched me, I reminded myself that my journey here was not just to experience beauty, but to understand it. I had joined the 18th edition of the […]
