Africa’s drylands are getting more support. How to make the most of this
The UN recently launched the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide
Local govts must be empowered to act against desertification: Developing nations
Lack of power devolution between state and local governments exacerbates the problem of degradation, say experts
Cold desert regions need special attention: Experts
The expanse of deserts in these regions appears to be growing because of progressive melting of glaciers due to climate change
‘Only plantation cannot restore degraded land’
Down To Earth speaks to Ravindra Adusumilli of the Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Network, India about government policy on tackling …
Where will these railway track dwellers of Delhi live after eviction
Already living in filth, misery, disease and hunger, will they now be deprived of the only places they call home?
Possessed by land
Landholding can affect marital prospects. It can also affect sex ratios and lead to polyandry. A village in Alwar provides a snapshot
9 DRC communities fight a century-old land conflict with a palm oil firm
They filed a complaint with German Development Bank accusing them of funding a palm oil plantation company in spite of being aware of a …
Govt needs to address policy ambiguities affecting shifting cultivation: NITI Aayog
The NITI Aayog report recommends doing away with the practice of having divergent approaches towards shifting cultivation
Road to cool cities: Codes based on unique ‘urban form’ can be helpful
Urban India is a heat trap, but road orientation, building materials and zone-specific master plans can drastically enhance thermal comfort
Harness silvopasture systems for local climate resilience
Silvopasture systems buffer against temperature and wind extremes, providing a favourable living environment for livestock
Jakarta acts to stop being the next Atlantis
Stopping Jakarta sinking cannot happen overnight, but the city is finally taking the action needed to stop groundwater extraction
Refuge pockets critical for persistence of Blackbuck in human-dominated landscapes: Study
The study examines how blackbuck use habitats characterised by seasonally changing resources, threats of predators, intensive human pressures in …
Historic litigant
How was land for Rashtrapati Bhavan and the parliament building acquired? Who were its original inhabitants?
A river hard done by
Documentary>> Making the sewer...A river again: Why Mumbai must reclaim its Mithi • Observer Research Foundation
No to afforestation
Furious at losing their traditional rights over land, residents of a south Delhi village say...
Drainage plan helps reclaim land
Scientists have evolved a subsurface drainage system that makes saline soils arable within three years
Whose land is it, anyway?
The Mabo judgement, which recognises Australian aboriginal claims to land, has led to protests from business circles and could have an impact as …
Dupont decried
After the Thapar-Dupont plant was driven out of Goa, and it found a refuge in Tamil Nadu, a ho,n,t's nest has again been stirred up
Bay watch!
COASTAL WATERS OF THE WORLD: TRENDS, THREATS, AND STRATEGIES·Don Hinrichsen· Island Press, Washington, 1997· 276 pages
In defence of shifting agriculture
IT HAS taken almost two decades of consistent research into the northeastern tribal practice of shifting agriculture for P S Ramakrishna, …
Desertification control lacks efficiency
PERHAPS no environmental problem affects the poor of the world as much as desertification. The UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) says this has …
If only cities can see wetlands
It is time we realised that a water body is not an ornamental luxury or a wasted land
Acquisition made easy
Promises and lies
Supreme Court stays government's sham deal of promising land to tribals
SEZs get a social face