An Asiatic Lioness with four cubs at Gir Sanctuary during the 16th Asiatic lion census. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji India’s lion population, exclusively concentrated in Gujarat, has risen by 32% between 2020 and 2025, with 891 lions reported, according to a report from the Gujarat Forest Department released on Wednesday (May 21, 2025). The … Read more
The Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), a vulnerable sea turtle species, made headlines earlier this year: a record-breaking seven lakh turtles had nested at Odisha’s Rushikulya beach alone in March. These turtles are renowned for their synchronised mass nesting events called arribada, a Spanish word that means “arrival”. For many people, the Rushikulya arribada signalled … Read more
Even after accounting for all the ecological, political and economic criticisms against the green revolution, the role of the movement in dramatically increasing food production in India cannot be contested. The State achieved this by relying on modern agricultural practices and weaving into it development narratives, institutional structures and public participation, says science historian Abhinav Tyagi. … Read more
About 57% of Indian districts, home to 76% of India’s total population, are currently at ‘high’ to ‘very high’ heat risk, according to a new study. According to the study published on Tuesday (May 20, 2025) by Delhi-based climate and energy think-tank Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW), the 10 States and Union Territories … Read more
Euthalia malaccana, from Aruanchal Pradesh’s Leparada district, added to India’s butterfly family. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Arunachal Pradesh’s Leparada district has yielded the newest member of India’s butterfly family. The Euthalia malaccana has long been a subject of taxonomic debate. Initially identified as a subspecies of Euthalia adonia before being established as an independent species, this butterfly is … Read more
SC has directed Chief Secretaries of States and Administrators of Union Territories across the country to form Special Investigation Teams to examine if forest lands in the possession of their respective Revenue Departments have been allotted to private parties for non-forest activities. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT The Supreme Court, in a judgment, has directed … Read more
Stand alone apartments, gated communities, shopping malls and other structures with huge surface area can harvest several thousands litres of rainwater. (Image used for representational purpose only) | Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar Hyderabad and its surrounding areas have been receiving rain for the past few days. How much of it could have been used for domestic … Read more
Key objectives of the fund include surveying, assessing, and mapping threatened species across the State, enhancing conservation efforts and building partnerships for the long-term protection of vulnerable species. After the Tamil Nadu Forest Department’s plan to safeguard endangered wildlife hit a roadblock, it has been decided to reroute the funds through a different institution. Announced … Read more
A view of solar panels and wind turbines installed at the Adani Green Renewable Energy Plant in Khavda, Gujarat, October 2024. | Photo Credit: AFP As the sweltering heat of summer reaches its peak, our thoughts turn towards the approaching rainy season. Data collected by weather stations and rain gauges for over a century tell … Read more
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has expelled Varanasi-based farmer Venugopal Badaravada from the Governing Body (GB) as well as the General Body of the ICAR Society. Mr. Badaravada, a farmers’ representative in both the panels, had questioned the genome-edited seeds developed by the ICAR recently and had also alleged that the appointments in … Read more
The Supreme Court on Friday (May 16, 2025) held the grant of ex post facto or retrospective Environmental Clearances (EC) by the Centre to building projects and constructions a “gross illegality” and an anathema against which the courts must come down heavily. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStock The Supreme Court on Friday (May 16, 2025) … Read more
Paddy harvesting in Yadgir district of Karnataka. Farmers across India face increasing uncertainty — climate change, market price fluctuations, pest & disease outbreaks, lack of timely information, low-quality inputs, and difficulty accessing government schemes and modern tools. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Belagavi-based SBOF Agrosmart Private Limited has launched SBOF Agrosmart, which is being billed … Read more
S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu The progress made by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in developing eco-friendly launch vehicle systems reflects a strong commitment to sustainable space exploration practices, S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), has said. Dr. Nair was speaking after … Read more
Green Humour | Photo Credit: Rohan Chakravarty Rohan Chakravarty is a cartoonist and illustrator from Nagpur. His series, ‘Green Humour’, consists of cartoons and comics on wildlife, nature conservation, environmental issues, sustainability, and all things green. Green Humour | Photo Credit: Rohan Chakravarty Published – May 16, 2025 11:00 am IST
Some orchids recorded in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Assam’sKaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, the safest home of the one-horned rhino on Earth, sports at least 70 species of orchids. Officials of the UNESCO World Heritage Site said on Thursday (May 15, 2025) these species across 36 genera … Read more
Dr. Arunabha Ghosh. File (X/@GhoshArunabha) Arunabha Ghosh, who heads Delhi-based climate and energy think tank CEEW [Council on Energy, Environment and Water], has been appointed as the South Asia envoy for this year’s UN climate conference (COP-30), which will take place in Brazil in November. As one of eight international envoys for strategic regions, Mr. … Read more
Herakles Racing hydrogen-fuelled all-terrain vehicle | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Among the 22 college teams participating in the third and final phase of the SAEIndia HBaja 2025 competition was a group of rookies in the hydrogen or CNG-fuelled all-terrain vehicle (ATV) category, Herakles Racing, from the College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) in Thiruvananthapuram. Around 190 … Read more
Aazhi – The Deep Sea | Photo Credit: Sangita Rajan A few weeks ago, Chennai saw the season’s hatch of Olive Ridley baby turtles. The hatchlings slowly made their way into the sea, as people gathered to watch them. These turtle walks are recorded along the East Coast each year. Under natural conditions, the eggs … Read more
Mariangela Hungria. | Photo Credit: World Food Prize via AP A Brazilian scientist who pushed back against the use of chemical fertilisers and studied biological approaches to more robust food production has been honoured with this year’s World Food Prize, the organisation announced on May 13. Microbiologist Mariangela Hungria has been researching biological seed and … Read more
The Indian yak in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Specialists from four institutions of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have assembled the first-ever chromosome-level genome of the Indian yak. The Indian yak (Bos grunniens), often called the ‘ship of the Himalayas’, is an integral part of the economy … Read more
A fruit seller shades herself with an umbrella in intense heat at Sangareddy, Telangana. | Photo Credit: Mohd Arif On May 12, 17 districts of Andhra Pradesh recorded temperature above 41º C, with the A.P. State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) saying heatwave-like conditions are set to prevail in the northern districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Paravathipuram-Manyam … Read more
Climate change is reshaping the world — and perhaps nowhere more so than in the wild. As ecosystems change, species are forced to move to new locations in search of the resources they need to live. Unlike some human-made borders that are visible as fences and walls, the wild at large has numerous borders invisible … Read more
Migratory birds in V Formation, travel over long distances Just like how takeoff and landing are crucial for an airplane, the same applies to birds. Migratory birds often fly in a V-shape, a process known as bird flight. This unique movement is guided by the principles of aerodynamics, specifically lift and drag, helping them travel … Read more
‘Future conservation efforts should be designed to strengthen our emotional bond with nature’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The phrase, “Ecology is the permanent economy”, made popular by environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, is much more than a slogan. It is a profound reminder of the foundational truth that human prosperity is inextricably linked to ecological health. … Read more
The story so far: After a decade of deliberations towards decarbonising the maritime industry, at its 83rd session, the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC-83) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was faced with the challenge of coming to a consensus on a proposed emissions levy on global shipping. The session’s objective was to adopt a … Read more
Formed over millions of years ago, Maharashtra’s Konkan region’s lateritic plateaus, called ‘sadas’ in Marathi, are home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. These plateaus support unique freshwater rock pools that are formed due to erosion and weathering over a period of time and are critical frog breeding habitats. A paper titled: ‘Effects … Read more
Draped in a blue pattu sari, gold chains around her neck and ears heavy with jewellery, 60-year-old Rangamma of Hothi B. village in Telangana’s Medak district still carries the quiet dignity of a woman who once believed she had a stake in change. Seated on the low wall of a village well, she opens her … Read more
The per capita standard, combined with population figures, is used to compute the domestic water demand of a city. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu How much water should a person receive each day? In India, this question is not answered by science or necessity, but by an arbitrary metric — the per capita water … Read more
India’s journey toward Viksit Bharat is being powered by a rapid digital transformation, with an increasing reliance on electronic devices. From smartphones and laptops to advanced industrial and medical equipment, technology has become the backbone of economic growth, connectivity and innovation. However, this growing dependence on electronic devices has a by-product — electronic waste (e-waste) … Read more
A Mount Augustus snail laying an egg through its neck in Hokitika, New Zealand. | Photo Credit: AFP The strange reproductive habits of a large, carnivorous New Zealand snail were once shrouded in mystery. Now footage of the snail laying an egg from its neck has been captured for the first time, the country’s conservation … Read more