Forests fire poets' imagination

Forests are vital not only for food and biodiversity, but our energy and creativity also find expression in them

Hills of despair and hope

Book>> Unruly hills-nature and nation in India’s Northeast • by Bengt G Karlsson • Orient Blackswan, Social Science Press &…

Revitalising sacred groves

A festival recreates sacred groves from different parts of the country in Bhopal to spread awareness about their role in conserving biodiversity

Cherapunjee - the driest desert

Water trickles from it. Is it possible the wettest place on earth wants for water? That seems to be the impression, until L L Sorung, a teacher, …

Restore Lost Groves

Sacred groves persisted in large numbers in India, especially in the highlands, as repositories of primeval biodiversity, moderators of local …

Fading family tree

Environmental protection is inherently embedded in the lives of the Kodava people. Kodira A Kushalapa, a Kodava himself, and a former regional …

Sacred groves of Kerala: down from 10,000 to 1,200

Break down of joint family system is also one of the reasons for sacred grove being in peril, says state Assembly panel report

Unhappy Bani

March of real estate threatens one of the last patches of native Aravalli forest near Delhi

Nature’s timeless abode

With a rich natural and cultural heritage, meghalaya’s mawphlang sacred grove never ceases to surprise visitors

Revered yet neglected forest patches

Sacred groves not only vary in terms of ecological distribution, but also in terms of property regime, management practice and socio-ecological …

Bhakti divide in Brajbhoomi

Disagreement is brewing among Krishna's devotees in Vrindavan. While some want to show their love for the god by building temples, others serve …

Where are the tapovans?

Both India and China are ancient civilisations possessing characteristic indigenous knowledge of conservation of natural ecosystems. The Chinese …

Environment ministry rapped

Parliament committee says serious inadequacies in afforestation, biodiversity programmes

UN heritage status for Odisha's Koraput farming system

Indigenous knowledge and farming practices of the region's tribal people recognised for promoting food security and conserving biodiversity

Snow leopards, cultural codes can help prevent land degradation in Himalayas: Experts

The animal’s conservation will mean saving herbivores and the land they feed on, said panelists at an event at COP14

A profane proposal

10 years ago, Down To Earth reported on the state of sacred groves in India (see: Down To Earth, January 31, 1994). Patches of forest protected …

Ancient wisdom

A new book provides an insight on sacred groves

The sacred groves

Khasis in Meghalaya help in environmental regeneration

Tree cheers

Fig and peepal aid natural reforestation

Divine spirits at risk

Instead of identification, the state should allow tribal rights over sacred groves

A walk through Mangar Bani, a sacred grove near Delhi

Sacred flaws

Why the Odisha government's move to save sacred groves has enraged tribal communities

Soon: India’s first REDD project

Forest conservation effort in Meghalaya can claim carbon benefits

Jaisalmer villagers march 225 kilometres to get sacred groves listed as ‘oran land’

More than 100 orans documented by a non-profit still listed as wastelands