Managing Open Natural Ecosystems for People, Climate and Biodiversity
Narratives on the Wolf vs Its Life on the Margins
Abi Tamim Vanak Hindustan Times | September 8, 2024 The “big, bad wolf” — or at least a spectre of it — is back. Bahraich, a district in Uttar Pradesh, has witnessed a spate of attacks, purportedly by a pack of wolves, with at least ten persons (mostly children) killed and more than 25 injured. […]
Response to Draft Notification on the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (MoEFCC)
The MoEFCC’s draft notification dated 31 July, 2024 proposed designating 56,800 sq km of the Western Ghats spanning 6 states as an ecologically sensitive Area (ESA) under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. CPD and the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy submitted a joint response suggesting improved monitoring, enforcement, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable development within the […]
Howling for change: How the plight of Indian grey wolves challenges conservation norms
Iravatee Majgaonkar, Abi Tamim Vanak Frontline | August 13, 2024 Urban Indians are mostly unaware that India has a population of gray wolves, a threatened species in threatened ecosystems. Some 10 per cent of India’s landmass is covered by ecosystems known as Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs), habitats to species such as wolves, with a dry […]
Navigating the Streets
Gautam Aredath, Abi T. Vanak Indian Public Policy Review | November 30, 2023 The Indian government’s approach to dog population management for the last two decades –the animal birth control (ABC) program –has yielded poor results. Aside from its implementation failures, the ABC is scientif ically unsuited to the scale and severityof the harms posed […]
Greening ‘wastelands’ doesn’t guarantee a greener India
Abi Tamim Vanak, Sanjana Nair The Times of India | November 12, 2023 In pursuit of India’s net-zero goals, wastelands are being repurposed for renewable energy and afforestation projects. This poses a threat to the diverse ecosystems they encompass and the communities dependent on them.
Public Consultation on Draft Methodology for Tree Plantation Based Green Credits (MoEFCC)
The Government of India announced its draft guidelines for tree plantation-based green credits and asked for comments via a public consultation. CPD laid out recommendations and revisions along with other contributors from ATREE and other experts in the sector in November 2023.
A Socio-ecological Pathway for Land Restoration
Anuja Malhotra, Ruth DeFries, Rob Slotow and Abi T. Vanak G20 | July 2023 The G20 Bali Leaders’ Declaration (2022) recognised the role of sustainable management and land restoration in achieving the objectives of the three Rio Conventions. Three years into the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), the challenge of land restoration has been […]
Response to public consultation on Chhattisgarh’s draft eco-restoration policy (CSCCC)
This note was submitted in response to the draft eco-restoration policy published by the Chhattisgarh State Climate Change Centre for public consultation. CPD’s response commended the draft policy’s emphasis on eco-restoration, multiple ecosystems, and evidence-based approaches, and suggested improvements in the consideration of trade-offs, democratic governance, and alignment with broader policies, in addition to more […]
Comments/suggestions for Revising Access and Benefits Sharing Regulations, 2014 (NBA)
This note was submitted in response to the National Biodiversity Authority’s ‘Notice inviting comments/suggestions for Revising Access and Benefits Sharing Regulations, 2014’. CPD’s comments/suggestions indicated general directions and measures that may be adopted to improve the effectiveness of access and benefits sharing under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
