The Chipko movement as it stands today

The idea behind the Chipko movement originated in early 1970s from Mandal, a village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Forty-three years later, …

Mountains of Sanjeevani

The Uttarakhand government's initiative to spend Rs 25 crore on an elusive mythical herb should trigger a wider quest to identify, document and …

Rafting: in troubled waters

White water rafting operators and environmental activists are in a legal battle over rafting's effect on the environment

Why cutting down Chirpine is not a solution to Uttarakhand forest fires

Resin ducts that make the tree prone to fire should rather be used as a resource

For the love of butterflies

Book>> Butterflies on the roof of the world • by Peter Smetacek • Aleph • Rs 499

Sustainable tourism: Carrying capacity assessment can be a tool for protecting hilly areas 

It is the need of the hour to regulate unmanaged tourism activities to maintain the ecological balance and facilitate tourism

Food security: Climate change is affecting the seeds that India depends on

An increase in the number of days with extreme temperatures or rain has caused a decline in the quality and size of seeds across India

Himalayan plunder: How to design cities in the region

Build lighter structures, ensure proper drainage and use local knowledge to future-proof the region

Joshimath’s sinking brings Uttarakhand’s rehabilitation policy into sharp focus

Of Uttarakhand’s 484 villages threatened by natural disasters, more than 450 await relocation despite the state’s ambitious …

Fabulous Faba: Ancient super food set to stage a comeback

Food scientists are now trying to give this neglected ancient crop a makeover, given its high nutrition content

A year on: A Raini-like incident can happen again

Rampant construction continues in the seimically active and climate change-sensitive Himalayas; the next disaster is waiting to happen

NGT refuses to allow commercial construction on Shimla railway land

A proposal allowing the construction of a hotel and other commercial structures on land in Shimla’s railway warehouse has been rejected

Glacial burst at Sumna on the Indo-China border near Reni in Uttarakhand

Sumna is an uninhabited place, with only border roads personnel working there; no word yet on casualties

Chamoli disaster: What lesson can Himachal learn

More than a dozen organizations from the hill state have come together to highlight dangers of climate change, exacerbated by exploitation of land,…

Vishweshwar D Saklani (1922-2019): The calm tree man of India

A freedom fighter, conservationist and a scientist who truly heard the voice of trees, Mr Saklani is a role model for future generations

Char Dham national highway has cost Uttarakhand its ecological balance

To assess the extent of the ecological damage that construction activity is causing, Down To Earth travelled 250 km on the Char Dham …

Uttarakhand forest minister blames UP poachers for tiger deaths in Corbett

Minister Harak Singh Rawat said increased fencing and drone surveillance will be introduced to curb poaching

Bastar witnessed more forest fires than Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal

FSI’s satellite data show that while Pauri Garhwal recorded 471 instances of forest fires, the highest in Uttarakhand, Bastar recorded 555 …

Pastoralist Van Gujjars ask why they still need permit to enter their own land

Voices of the Van Gujjars have been silenced by restrictions in the form of ‘permits’ 

Forest Survey Report 2021: India’s mountainous states, already facing climate change, lose forest cover

Jammu and Kashmir has lost very dense forests, while the North East is top in terms of total forest area loss

Why flooding raises alarm over bearing of hydropower plants on the Himalayas

The need of the hour is to put halt large hydel-power projects in the Himalayas. Can small hydropower plants offer a sustainable solution?

Departure in rainfall across flood-affected districts this June very sharp: DTE analysis

A detailed study of data across districts and subdivisions reveals that such excess rainfall in June has rarely occurred otherwise

Kumbh amid COVID-19: 1.3 million bathe at Haridwar as COVID-19 cases spike

Officials at Kumbh Mela report decrease in number of pilgrims at second royal bath even as COVID-19 cases surge  

‘We will only wake up when sal trees have been driven to the brink of extinction’

The ‘treeman of Delhi’, Pradip Krishen talks to Down To Earth about the recent decision to cut 2,500 British-era sal trees on the …

Black carbon is a threat to Himalayan glaciers

Banning fossil fuels or the introduction of glacier tax can be a deterrent in these high-altitude areas