ATREE News

Like most waterbodies, the Thamirabarani, which is Tamil Nadu's only perennial river is also struggling with pollution, which is slowly killing it. A mix of industrial discharge, sewage, and water hyacinth are making the river, which is the main source of water supply to many towns including Tirunelveli toxic. Sneha Shahi, a young environmentalist and student in ATREE is currently rejuvenating the Thamirabarani river which is over 120 km long. Initial findings from the project suggest that the Thamirabarani river gets polluted due to industrial discharge and the dumping of solid waste, especially in the form of clothes and flowers.

The project was started by ATREE in January this year is set to complete its first phase by March 2023.

Scientists have learned a new species of bent-toed gecko Cyrtodactylus aravindi from the Agasthyamalai hills in Western Ghats. Bent-toed geckos are located throughout south and southeast Asia with 330 species and about 42 species are regarded from India. Formerly, only three species of Bent-toed gecko are identified from Tamil Nadu and this new addition tends to make it the fourth species. The new species is described based on its distinctness in the morphological and molecular DNA information. Morphologically, centered on the colour pattern, Aravind’s bent-toed gecko is extra similar to a gecko that is acknowledged only from Sri Lanka Cyrtodactylus yakhuna but from which the new species has a considerable variation in the genetic info.

The Sikkim-Darjeeling Himalaya, is an ecologically and culturally unique landscape and a steep mountainous region. In recent decades, it has been under increased pressure for infrastructure development of roads, power generation dams and tourist and military facilities due to its scenic value and geopolitical location. A study that assessed two of the lower dams on the Teesta River, the lifeline of Sikkim-Darjeeling and found extensive loss of river-side forests and huge amounts of sediment accumulation in the dam-created reservoirs. Our studies indicate that both the dam reservoirs will have sediment fill-up in 70-90% of the reservoir areas, creating shallow wetland-like and sedimentary features in what would have been a white-water river valley within the next 10-15 years.
Given the potential loss of operational efficiency of dams due to landscape and climatological changes, and the associated loss of ecological services it is imperative that we pay more attention and thought to build such short-term gain infrastructure in the country.

Is there a 'wrong' place to plant trees? Chushul village sits more than 14,000 feet (4,267 metres) above sea level in the cold desert of Ladakh. Villagers are planting 150,000 trees in Chusul village - mainly willow, sea buckthorn and tamarisk - in June, in a project they hope will combat air pollution, boost biodiversity and provide a new income source for locals who traditionally rely on livestock. But some ecologists warn that the "mindless" creation of forests in areas where they would not naturally grow can damage fragile and unique ecosystems. Native plants and wild animals, such as Ladakh's famed snow leopards and blue sheep, are not adapted to forested ecosystems, Dr. Vanak noted. "Creating plantations, especially in areas where people don't reside, can harm native habitats and make them unusable for wildlife," he added. Growing trees requires a lot of water, so planting them in environments that are unnatural to them can make areas already struggling with low water supplies even drier.