ATREE News
Micro snail species discovered in Meghalaya’s Mawsmai cave
A micro snail species has recently been discovered from Mawsmai, a limestone cave in Meghalaya, 170 years after the last such discovery was made. The researchers involved in the discovery are Nipu Kr Das and Aravind Madhyastha of ATREE. The Mawsmai cave is one of the major tourist attractions in Meghalaya, the high tourist influx may pose threat to this micro snail species and other cave faunas.
பருவநிலை மாற்ற சவால்கள்: நெல்லை தாமிரபரணி ஆற்றை காக்க அரசுடன் கைகோர்த்த தன்னார்வலர்களின் புது முயற்சி
Many people have taken the effort to clean Thamirabarani before. This time the district administration is taking a new initiative with a clear plan.
Human disturbance alters parasite communities, increases infectious disease: study
India’s One Health and Zoonoses Programme is a part of the National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-Being (NMBH) launched by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council in 2019 to be a proactive surveillance and capacity building endeavour.
Mapping the potential of Community Forest Resource Rights in central India
The study found that across these states, around 60,000 villages could potentially claim CFR rights under the FRA over an area of at least ~1,83,000 km2, and potentially benefit about 6.26 crore people. To further aid state agencies, activists, and the public, we have put the maps on a publicly browsable webGIS and posted the list of CFR potential villages on our website. This should enable the state agencies to assess their own progress, direct their energies in appropriate areas, and understand the landscape of forest use.
When conservation efforts collide with tribal rights in Maharashtra
When conservation efforts collide with policies or actions that are detrimental to the environment, it is an easier choice to pick sides. But when demarcation of critical wildlife habitats end up endangering the rights of tribals, forest-dependent local communities, the government and judiciary have a complicated and delicate challenge.
Seeds of invasive species dispersed
A recent study has revealed that native mammals disperse the highly invasive ‘Senna Sepctabilis’ in the Western Ghats. The plant is posing a serious threat to the wildlife habitat in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary as well as the adjacent Bandipur and Mudumalai Tiger Reserves in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Not wastelands, but thriving ecosystems
There is an urgent need for a policy change to protect India’s Open Natural Ecosystems(ONEs), opine Dr M D Madhusudan and Dr Abi Tamim Vanak. They argue that contrary to the understanding that these semi-arid, non-forested landforms are barren or wastelands, they are thriving ecosystems. A lack of awareness about their protection is severely threatening the biodiversity of ONEs, endangering species endemic to the regions.
Tropic lessons from the past
Dr Kamaljit Bawa reviews Patrick Roberts' latest book, "Jungle: How Tropical Forests Shaped the World—and Us". He says, " He reminds Western readers of their obligation to not only reduce their own carbon footprint but also assume greater responsibility for restoring planetary health and creating a more just society."
Native shade trees in coffee plantations vital for diversity, abundance of birds, says study
Verdant coffee and tea plantations are more than an ideal backdrop for photos; they support a thriving avian population. In a study that underscores the need to understand the patterns and drivers of bird species composition and diversity outside Protected Area (PA) networks to develop landscape-level conservation strategies, researchers found that they varied in differently-managed plantations.
How smart meters are helping Bengaluru apartments save water - Citizen Matters, Bengaluru
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has introduced regulations that require individual flats in apartments to install internal water meters, to ensure that the resource is used judiciously. However, given the pandemic, the Board is not yet penalising defaulters.