Listen... plants too speak
As early as in 1880, Charles Darwin demonstrated that plants could sense light, moisture, gravity, pressure and possessed several other qualities.…
Dying Kingdom
In the past decade, eight bird species have been confirmed as extinct or close to extinction. Globally, there are more than 16,000 animals on the …
We don’t know how many mountain gorillas live in the wild. Here’s why
A new census — carried out by the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (a coalition of governments, non-profits and …
‘Wild tigers could be back in Kazakhstan by 2026’
Igor Chestin is the head of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s Russia chapter. He is in Delhi to attend the third Asia Ministerial …
Will the Aral Sea ever come back?
"Forgive us, Aral. Please come back." These words written in chalk, on a ship sftKk in a sandy wasteland, which was once the bustling shore of …
Negotiations on biological resources inch forward
The conservation and sustainable management of biological resources was high on the international agenda in February 2004. Representatives of …
On the Edge
In Vietnam, an astonishing array of species, some never before encountered by humans, are being threatened by deforestation and an illegal trade …
'Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson’s accuracy of description is very much in question'
Bruce D. Patterson is the MacArthur Curator of Mammals at the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is also an …
`Religion is not doing enough to help wildlife'
George Schaller is one of the first scientists to study and rediscover several rare and charismatic species. These include the mountain gorillas …
Are human beings edging out all other life forms?
Northeast India occupies 8 per cent of the country's geographic area, and supports 3.8 per cent of India's total population (2001 census figures).…
A little "war" between the North and South
The public debate between Dutch environment minister Hans Alders and Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment, covering a whole …
Farming out the problem
A recent report that the Union ministry of environment and forests may be "exploring the possibility of allowing private persons to breed wild …
The hunt for benefits
India is hailed as a pioneer in implementing the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity—fair and equitable sharing of …
"Forgive us, Aral. Please come back." These words written in chalk, on a ship sftKk in a sandy wasteland, which was once the bustling …
Wild & fragile
The Western Ghats in the south of India have forests which are, for some plant species, their exclusive home on this earth. No wonder then, that …
Andaman & Nicobar turtles face extinction
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the third most significant biodiversity hotspot in India. With a coastline of 1962 kilometres and many …
'Building and retaining capacity is the toughest challenge'
Balakrishna Pisupati is in the hot seat as chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), where he has to deal with regulatory and …
The spirit of the sanctuary
Sacred groves - tracts of virgin forests - are vestiges of an ancient practice in which people protected a forest to avoid the wrath of its …
Should conservation be privatised?
Since the late 1960s, many African countries, including Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, have adopted a new approach to conservation.…
'The world's entire gene-pool is open for manipulation'
INDRA VASIL was one of the first scientists to successfully manipulate wheat plants using genetic engineering techniques. Before he came in, …
Mountain biodiversity tops Montreal meet agenda
The entire gamut of activities that threaten ecosystems in the mountain regions dominated discussions at the meeting of the scientific advisory …
Earth crusaders
Ever since the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, countries around the world celebrate April 22 by organising programmes to plant saplings, …
Book review: Inventing Global Ecology by Michael Lewis
In the 1950s and 1960s India used to import not only subsidised sewing needles and milk, but also wildlife conservation science from the US. …
"We are close to crisis point"
Agriculture and its subsequent effect on the environment, rapidly depleting natural resources like arable land and water, the slackening of the …
Fabled Fruits!
Taking off from its climatic range - Himalayan to tropical - India has much to offer in terms of fruit diversity. Large varieties of major fruits …