The butterfly effect

As India continues to lose its rich butterfly diversity at an alarming rate, a handful of individuals work towards creating newer habitats

South Africa to combat poaching by shifting Kruger rhinos

South Africa plans to move up to 500 rhinos from Kruger National park to counter a wave of poaching of the animals for their horns, highly prized …

Curse of the horn

Soaring prices of rhino horns have led to a new spurt of poaching in the Kaziranga National Park, Assam. Once heralded as a conservation success …

Goodbye Indian mermaid

Tricks of the e-waste trade

New rules offer no help to informal operators. They ignore reality and are likely to be toothless  

IT's underbelly

India produces about 400,000 tonnes of electronic waste each year, growing exponentially. Handling this is a great challenge. What adds to it is …

Back on menu: bird nest soup

More than 1,300 rhinos fell to poaching in Africa in 2015: IUCN

Poaching of rhinos is fuelled by the demand for their horns in Southeast Asia

Homeless hilsa

The ocean fish that swims against the tide to spawn in rivers is moving away from Bangladesh

Last pangolins

The world is running out of time to save its only scaly mammal

Should ivory trade be legalised?

International ban on ivory trade has neither reduced elephant poaching nor the volume of the illegal trade. Is it time the trade is legalised? …

A fish moves west

Ten years ago Bangladesh’s rivers were deeper and hilsa plentiful. Silting, dams and pollution pushed the fisher into deep ocean leading to …

Out of control: why monkeys are a menace

Damage by raiding monkeys has become a menace of unprecedented magnitude. Down To Earth travels to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar …

Single window dumpyard

India wants global waste. So it gets what it wants  

Tracking the elusive metallic spider

Sighted only twice in India since its discovery in 1899, the peacock spider is in huge demand as a pet in the West

No cap on iron mining in Odisha

Centre rejects Shah Commission recommendation, says it would upset industry

Chinese honey route

Thriving honey laundering traced to Asian giant

Red Sandalwood export gets nod

Centre allows Andhra Pradesh to export 8,500 tonnes of unfinished woodÔÇêseized in crackdowns

News - In Short

Shifting ground

After cracking the whip on mining offenders, CEC is now going easy on them

What drives illegal trade in Asian bears

2,801 bears have been traded dead or alive for their parts and derivatives between 2000 and 2011 in Asia, especially in Cambodia and China, …

Shark in a soup

The fish, high in demand for its fin, is dwindling in the Indian waters. Will a mere ban on finning protect it?

Environmental crimes threaten global security, says UN

Illegal forestry and ivory products worth up to US $213 billion a year are helping fund terrorists, militants and criminals

News 360° - Briefs

Chaos in the iron age

After iron ore plunder in Bellary and Goa comes a Supreme Court order that adds confusion to chaos