Dharti Rakshaks Of Melghat

Protecting wildlife and its habitats through GPS-based patrolling, tracking poachers with the help of sniffer dogs, conserving water in the forests till the summer months, catalysing the rebirth of grasslands – a forest guard wears many hats. Here are three extraordinary stories from the Melghat Tiger Reserve.

Martin Woodcock

(January 14, 1935 – February 24, 2019)

A Grazing Patch And A Cricket Pitch

Haven for Blackbuck and Harriers

Reverse Gear On Oil Palm

Sixteen years after the Supreme Court banned monoculture plantations in Andaman and Nicobar Islands' fragile ecosystem, the administration wants it revoked

March Against Asbestos

Though its use is banned in most countries, the asbestos industry continues to thrive at the cost of putting millions of people at risk

A Mountain Lost

The Aravalli mountain range extends for more than 692 km from Champaner in Gujarat to Delhi and beyond. Its role in defining the shape of the Indian subcontinent and its climate, and the fact that it triggered the explosion of multicellular life, are under-appreciated. The rugged mountains guide the monsoon clouds and protect the fertile alluvial river valleys from the assault of cold westerly winds from Central Asia. However, over the past four decades, the world's oldest mountain range has been destroyed by mining, deforestation and over-exploitation of its fragile and ancient water channels

'Natural Disasters Are Shaped By Social And Economic Inequality'

In the early hours of October 31, 1876, a devastating cyclone emanating from the Bay of Bengal drowned at least 0.21 million people and another 0.1 million died in the cholera epidemic and famine that followed. Such events are often described as "natural disasters". But historian BEN KINGSBURY turns that interpretation on its head in his book, An Imperial Disaster: The Bengal Cyclone of 1876, showing it was not simply a "natural" event, but one shaped by all-too-human patterns of exploitation and inequality—by divisions within Bengali society, and the enormous disparities of political and economic power that characterised British rule on the subcontinent. RICHARD MAHAPATRA spoke to Kingsbury on the untold narratives of "natural disasters". Excerpts

'I Am A Farmer About To Commit Suicide. Can You Help Me? My Aadhaar Number Is...'

Ishan Kukreti reports on how psychologists are now intervening to help distressed farmers

Afloat Upon The Sound Of Silence

A Dreamy Journey Through Kerala’s Silent Valley

A Dove Tale

One day, eight years ago, a Spotted Dove got trapped in my house and was desperately trying to escape through a closed window. We finally managed to release it into the garden. The next day it came back with a partner for a look around. A day after that they came back again – this time to build a nest in the bathroom. They’ve lived with us ever since!

Encroached Upon

Thirteen years aft er a historic law was formulated to give forest dwellers legal ownership of their traditi th onal land, their fate still hangs in the balance.A recent Supreme Court verdict, which almost made their eviction imminent, has brought the focus back on the tedious righhts recognition process under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.ISHAN KUKRETI reports from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarli and Delhi, with inputs from PRIYA RANJAN SAHU in Odisha

Profitable Pods

Yongchak is a Manipuri legume used in salads, pickles and delicacies

Of Cacti And Algae

Even after 50 years, India's research on forage crops fails to avert fodder shortage but churns out some unconventional alternatives

Empanel A Jury...

...because solar panel waste is piling up

Cities Of Joy

Last year, the South African city of Cape Town was in the news for running out of water. It managed to avert Day Zero, but the threat has not disappeared. With changing climate, more cities across the world will face similar crises. But there are a few metropolises that have overcome water shortage despite heavy odds. Though these cities still need to keep adapting and innovating, they have done well so far. Here's how they did it

The Wise Debate

As the world debates the effectiveness of industrialised agriculture, the good-old small farmer emerges victorious.

The Order Of Change

To resolve environmental problems, we need a change in mindset, empirical studies, implementation, monitoring and follow-ups, says Justice Madan B Lokur. Excerpts from his speech at the Anil Agarwal Dialogue recently organised by the Centre for Science and Environment.

Rockstar Gourd

The humble gourd that sculpted the culture and traditions of rural India for ages is falling out of favour.

Robots Are Here, Almost

The use of industrial robots is growing at an unprecedented rate in India. Are blue-collar jobs under threat?

Rise Of The Fall

Fall Armyworm, a deadly but little understood crop pest, poses a threat to food security and livelihoods of millions as it ravages crops in Africa and now Asia. First detected in July 2018 in India, the pest has caused widespread damage to maize crops, raising the possibility that the country may have to import maize.

Hidden Elixir

A one-stop medicine shop, amrakh can be the wow factor in homemade pickles and chutneys.

Drought Aggravates Poverty

Study shows during drought years in Rajasthan, the vulnerability of rural households to poverty increases.

Bedaquiline And India's Patent Law

Opposition to the new patent claims on the Johnson & Johnson drug is a test of how well the rules against evergreening are working.

Will Nudge Come To Shove?

It is crucial that nudge as a tool is used meticulously for political canvassing

Software Outsmarts Drug Research

Now, a programme can bypass patented drug pathways and create synthetically-produced medicines

Quick Fix Aid

A first after many years, farmers are at the centre of political attention. Ahead of the general elections, there is a rush of cash support schemes to woo them. This may bring some solace to farmers, but will the schemes have a lasting impact?

Potato's Neglected Cousins

Tubers come in all shapes, sizes and colours, and pack quite a punch

Out Of The Legal Hole

There is no such thing as environmentally acceptable and safe rat-hole coal mining and hence this primitive practice must be discontinued

A New Beginning Atlas For The End Of The World

The critical nexus the Atlas for the End of the World addresses is the global tension between food production, urbanisation and biodiversity

Whose Waste Is It?

Producers are shifting their plastic recovery responsibility to other companies