Desertification: Forest cover on the planet continues to shrink

The rate of deforestation has slowed down after 2005 yet forest cover on the planet continues to shrink, says a preliminary assessment report by …

Court digest: Major environment hearings of the week (Dec 31-Jan 4)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal

Fire in Mumbai’s Aarey Colony a conspiracy, say activists

Environmentalists claim that the fire was used as a swift fix to the issue of cutting 2,702 trees for the Metro-3 car shed project

Forests can keep our planet cool

Improving our forests and farm practices offers a low-risk path for climate mitigation, while securing the lives of traditional communities

Plantation drives not enough to fight air pollution

A sapling cannot do what a mature tree can as it takes it decades to be able to support environmental needs

Catchment areas in India used to be climate change proof, but not anymore

An IIT-Indore study says human activities like deforestation, urbanization and conservation measures are taking away the resilience of natural …

Why reducing emissions from deforestation, forest degradation remains a challenge

Fund constraints and lack of clarity on implementation derails the progress of REDD+

Tribals voice protest against power project in West Bengal’s Ayodhya Hills

Villagers claim that the power project will destroy their forests and elephant habitats

Why increase in global tree cover does not call for celebration

Much of it could be due to the increase in planted forests, which are more vulnerable to extreme climatic events

Kodagu landslides not a natural disaster

Here’s an account of the situation in disaster-hit Kodagu in Karnataka by a geologist who volunteered for the relief work

Kerala floods: Government was warned long back, but it chose to ignore

Ignoring experts’ recommendations on protecting fragile ecology of Western Ghats, Kerala had chosen development over environment

Northeast losing canopy cover at alarming rate: study

The degree of deforestation was greater in Assam compared to Arunachal Pradesh, say researchers from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun

The goat gamble

It has been a slow and steady shift over decades. Forced by declining returns from farming in ecologically fragile areas, small farmers have been …

Deforestation rate slowed down: FAO

The pace of loss of forests has slowed in recent years even though the world’s forest area decreased from 31% to 30% between 1990 and 2015

Forest conservation: indigenous peoples invest less than other agencies, but achieve equal outcome

According to a recent study, indigenous people and local communities are able to conserve forests by investing only 16–23 per cent of the …

Only 30% of tropical timber products in EU market are sustainable

Sustainable timber sourcing can protect over 5 million hectares of tropical forest, says a new report on sustainability of Europe’s timber …

Delhi tree felling: Absent forest policy, absentee Tree Authority

Between 2014 and 2017, the government planted 28,12,000 trees against the target of 36, 57,000, leaving a shortfall of 845,000 trees

Dust storms to become more intense if degradation of Aravallis continues

Withering of Aravallis, mainly due to erosion of forests along the northern and central tracts, is making dust storms more intense

Why zoonotic diseases are fast spreading to humans

Infectious diseases that were once confined to animals in forests are now attacking human beings, at a faster pace

A decade-old plan to curb carbon emissions through forest conservation in Africa is yet to pay off

A UN-backed mechanism to curb carbon sequestration and ensure biodiversity conservation, REDD+, is compromising community rights. Is there a …

'Three of us were killed last year, but we continue to protect our forests'

Guardians of the Amazon, a tribe in the forests sent this message to the Brazilian government to help them protect an uncontacted tribe and their …

Extreme weather, land-use change drive animal movement

A recent study says that land-use change interacts with climate to determine species redistribution

National Forestry Research Plan to focus on climate change

A blueprint for scientific research in forestry, the plan is made every 20 years and was formulated last in 2000

To save Tamil Nadu from water crisis, prevent deforestation in Western Ghats: study

The effect of deforestation is felt more during deficit years than monsoon surplus years

One in eight bird species in the world faces extinction: study

A study on the state of birds globally says agricultural expansion and deforestation are one of the major reasons for this