Conservation
78 Results
Children's Special: The Butterfly Whisperer
#ChildrensSpecial Ujaan has never cared for butterflies. Until, he visits a butterfly park and is enchanted by the many stages of a butterfly's life, especially how a seemingly ordinary caterpillar transforms into a winged marvel. Join him as he discovers the magic of metamorphosis.
Video
Filming Munsiyari: Behind the Lens with Director Neha Dixit
Listen to filmmaker Neha Dixit talk about filming the rarest wild creatures, meeting inspiring women, and collecting mountain melodies. Watch her in a candid conversation with Roundglass Sustain's Video Lead Samreen Farooqui.
Video
#WomensDaySpecial: The Van Panchayats of Uttarakhand and their Women Leaders
Almost 14% of forests in Uttarakhand are governed by van panchayats or the village forest councils, the country’s oldest forest management system. However, the van panchayats of Sarmoli and Shankhdhura villages are unique — they are led by local women.
This #WomensDay we celebrate the women guardians from the mountain state and their intimate ties with their community forests.
Video
Flight of Hope: Saving Rajasthan's Chandlai Lake
At a distance of about two hours from Jaipur, Chandlai Lake hosts over 300 species of birds. Many compare its riches to Bharatpur, Rajasthan's most biodiverse wetland. However, new developments are threatening the habitat. Can local citizens and birders save the lake?
Video
The Sal Symphony
The sal forest is a complex ecosystem that has evolved over millennia. A favorite of woodpeckers and other creatures, the sal tree is the dominant species in a sal forest. These tall trees are very difficult to regenerate artificially, so their destruction has everlasting repercussions.
Video
Saving Bhimanama: Ayushi Jain and a Giant Turtle
The ancestors of the Asian giant softshell turtle, locally called Bhimanama, once roamed the Earth along with dinosaurs about 140 million years ago. But today, this giant turtle is on the brink of extinction. Thankfully, biologist Ayushi Jain is on a mission to save it.
Video
Between Land and Water: The Dual Life of a Sea Krait
The yellow-lipped sea krait is an expert underwater hunter, that must return to land to digest its meals. Meet an aquatic snake that needs both land and water to survive.
Video
Great Nicobar: Rare Creatures of a Remote Island
Great Nicobar is the last of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands. On most of these isolated, faraway islands, species have evolved differently from their cousins on the mainland. Simply put, some of its residents are found only here and nowhere else in the world.
Video
How Citizens turned this Toxic Waterbody in Gurugram into a Bird Haven
A small waterbody in Sikandarpur, Gurugram, had turned into a garbage dump, until local citizens groups decided to clean it up. Today, it is a haven for birds and source of hope for a polluted, concrete city
Video
Basai Wetland: Why We Must Save Gurgaon’s Bird Paradise
Gurgaon's Basai wetland has been recognised as an Important Bird Area for the incredible diversity of resident and migratory birds it hosts. Unfortunately, new developments threaten to destroy this vital ecosystem.
Video
Hunters to Guardians: The Extraordinary Story of Panna’s Pardhis
For nearly five centuries, the nomadic Pardhi community has lived in Panna's forests. Traditionally, they were hired by Maharajas to track big game. Today, the former hunters use the same skills to protect its wildlife
Video
Return of the King: How Panna National Park Got its Tigers Back
What does it take to bring back tigers to a forest that was once a hostile place for them? Experts talk about how the disappearance of tigers from Panna National Park gave birth to one of India’s most successful conservation stories
Video
In Conversation With Dr MK Ranjitsinh, Architect of India's Wildlife Laws
Dr MK Ranjitsinh’s is the prime architect of the Wildlife Conservation Act 1972 — the first, and most important, legislation on conservation. In his tenure, he also set up four sanctuaries, eight national parks and doubled the area of three existing national parks. Hear him speak of drafting policies, protecting forests, bringing back the gharial from the brink of extinction and India’s unending obsession with the tiger
Video
A Spotlight on the Scorpions of the Western Ghats
Discovery of seven new species from the region highlights the need for further studies to conserve these arachnids
News
Sindhudurg’s Cashew Nut Plantations Offer Refuge to Wild Mammals
Sambar, porcupine, boar, gaur, hare, mongoose, leopard, and civets among the animals recorded in a study
Conservation
Muskaan: The Leopard Queen of Kumbhalgarh
Muskaan has found a secure home on the peripheries of Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, thanks to nomadic herders Raikas who have shared their space with leopards for decades. But new developments are tipping this fine balance. Will Muskaan have to abandon her home?
Video
Poaching Threatens Asiatic Black Bear in Arunachal Pradesh
Bears outside protected areas in the state targeted to meet the demands of the transnational wildlife trade
Conservation
Indian Pangolin: Facts, Threats, Habitat, Diet
A fact file on the Indian pangolin or scaly anteater, the most trafficked wild animal in the world
Infographic
Mount Abu’s Sloth Bears Tread on Thin Line
An eco-sensitive zone around the sanctuary with some stretches only 100 metres wide is inadequate, say wildlife experts
Conservation
Anish Andheria: A Scientific Temper and a Wild Heart
From rescuing snakes as a school kid to influencing government policies, Anish Andheria has had a long, and illustrious life in the wild
Hero
Gujarat’s Wildlife Habitats Call for Protection
Rare and unique wildlife found in the state’s vast stretches of grasslands, salt marshes, scrub forests and coastline need immediate conservation attention
Conservation
High and Dry: The Gradual Erosion of Ladakh’s ‘Dry Toilet’ Culture
Burgeoning tourism is pressurising locals in Ladakh to construct water-based toilets that are unsuited for its freezing terrain and only add to its water woes
Wild Vault
Love thy Neighbour: The Villagers of Paddapukur and the Fishing Cat
In Paddapukur, a small village in West Bengal, fishermen and farmers are finding harmonious ways of living with their fellow fish-loving neighbour — the endangered fishing cat
Video
Dhritiman Mukherjee: Training the Lens on Conservation Photography
Wildlife photography can inspire, build intimate relationships with the wild, and spark real change, says Dhritiman Mukherjee
Video
Tall, Dark, and Lonesome: The White-bellied Heron’s Last Call for Help
With less than 250 known individuals in the world and fewer than 50 in India, the white-bellied heron is slowly disappearing without a trace
Species
How Local Communities Help Conserve the Snow Leopard
Community-led initiatives in Ladakh’s Sham Valley have deterred the ‘revenge killing’ of snow leopards and encouraged locals to participate in their conservation
Wild Vault
Asad Rahmani and his Five-decade Long ‘Vacation’ in Conservation
From writing letters to Salim Ali as a young boy, to heading one of Asia’s most important conservation organisations, Asad Rahmani says his career in wildlife protection has been nothing short of an extended holiday
Hero
Kartik Shanker: Researcher, Ecologist, Storyteller
Kartik Shanker juggles many roles — ecologist, children’s writer, founder of Dakshin Foundation, editor of a conservation magazine — all rooted firmly in decades of field research
Hero
Striped Sisters Lead Conservation in Sariska
The two sister tigers, ST-9 and ST-10, were relocated to Sariska tiger reserve in 2013 and have till date contributed significantly in building up the tiger population in the reserve
Wild Vault
Nandini Velho: Community and Conservation
Nandini Velho’s extensive work with local communities makes her an unusual conservationist — one who stands up for humans as much as animals
Hero
Why Human-nature Relationships are Complicated
When large and potentially dangerous carnivores are involved, the relationship between humans and nature becomes complex
Wild Vault
Poaching Increases During Covid-19 Lockdown in Rajasthan
More than 3O cases of killing of animals, including chinkara (Indian gazelle) and India’s national bird peacock, have been recorded during the lockdown, say Rajasthan’s forest department officials and activists
News
Saving One of the Largest and Rarest Turtles from Extinction
A researcher is collecting data and building networks among communities in Kerala to work towards the conservation of Cantor’s giant softshell turtle
Conservation
Hidden Kingdom: Fantastic Plants and Where to Find Them
The book Hidden Kingdom champions the mystical plants of Western Ghats through sensuous, powerful illustrations set to enchanting rhyme
Book
Tulasi Gowda: How She Brings Forests to Life
In the last 50 years, 83-year-old Gowda has worked at the forest department’s nursery in Honnalli village in Karnataka, where she has planted hundreds of thousands of trees and helped regenerate many indigenous varieties
Hero
Cross Connections: The Story of Humans, Urial, and their Kin
The role of wild sheep in the trajectory of human growth, and other compelling reasons to protect the urial and its habitat
Species
Marina Juliet: A Conservationist in the Making
Marina Juliet defies gender stereotypes as she trains to become a grassroots conservationist in rural Karnataka
Hero
Anil Mistry: The Ex-Poacher Who Rescues Tigers
How a poacher turned conservationist, and became one of the leading voices fighting for the survival of the maligned Sundarbans tiger
Hero
Same, But Different
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment, and conservation
Green Humour
What it is Like to be a Woman in Conservation
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment, and conservation
Green Humour
Problem Elephant or Elephantine Problem?
The words we use to label animals involved in human-animal conflict situations can make a big difference to their conservation status
Conservation
Smooth-Coated Otters: A Rough Ride Along Transforming Rivers
Smooth-coated otters are top predators of our riverine habitats, but new emerging threats are putting the lives of these playful, clever creatures at risk
Species
Najafgarh – Wetland or Wasteland?
In this chapter from Nature Conservation in the New Economy, Neha Sinha tries to unravel the curious conservation case of the Najafgarh drain in the National Capital Region
Book
Return of the Cheetah: But Where Will it Roam?
A grand central government plan to introduce African cheetahs into India more than seven decades after the Asiatic cheetah went extinct here raises many pivotal questions
News
On a Wing: Titli Utsavs in Uttarakhand
Butterfly and moth festivals in Uttarakhand open up new vistas for nature lovers and encourage the appreciation and conservation of lesser-known species
Wild Vault
A Lost River and the Wetland Paradise of Hoskote Lake
Bengaluru’s Hoskote Lake and its surrounding marshlands host a wide variety of bird life and provide the city with a vital carbon dioxide sink. Efforts are on to revive the river system that once fed this vibrant water body.
Urban Jungle
How Not to Run Zero-Waste Campaigns
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment, and conservation
Green Humour
Crisis in Kodagu: Can Humans and Elephants co-exist?
Kodagu’s people live in constant fear of elephant encounters, but strengthening wildlife corridors and educating locals can mitigate the situation. This is the second story in a two-part series on human-elephant interactions in Kodagu
Conservation
Crisis in Kodagu: Reports from the Epicentre of Human-Elephant Conflict
Escalating human-elephant clashes in Kodagu are causing economic loss, and endangering lives of both, man and animal. This is the first story in a two-part series on human-elephant interactions in Kodagu
Conservation
How a Colonial Hunter Inspired Conservation Efforts
Though India-born British hunter Kenneth Anderson’s books are about his hunting exploits, they also discuss the importance of conservation and upholding the rights of the forest dwelling communities
Conservation
How Village Folklore Helps Conserve the Ibex of Pin Valley
In the remote villages of Spiti Valley, people and nature are bound together by instinct and tradition
Conservation
Breaking News! A Brown Cloud Descends on Mumbai
A Cloud Called Bhura by Bijal Vachharajani is a rib-tickling, teen mystery on climate change set in Mumbai. Here’s an sneak peek
Book
Magadha Burrowing Frog: Resident of Farms
The Magadha burrowing frog, named after the ancient kingdom of Magadha in the southern Bihar, was discovered in farms, proving that we need more explorations of agro-ecosystems, not just forests.
News
Out of Sight: The Rann, Thar, and the Great Indian Bustard
Inhabitant of the grasslands of western India, this critically endangered species needs all the help it can get to bring it back from the brink of extinction
Species
Small-clawed Otter: The Secret Surprise by the Stream
Our lives are implicitly intertwined with this shy, mostly nocturnal creature. The destruction of its riverine habitat could spell danger for an entire ecosystem
Conservation
The Grand Old Buffaloes of the Savannah Need Protection
A small and highly fragmented population of wild water buffalo struggles for survival. Long-term conservation actions are needed for their preservation
Species
The Guest in My Paddy Field: The Return of the Sarus Crane
The population of the sarus crane has registered a growth in Uttar Pradesh, thanks to the efforts of local communities, state government and non-profit organisations
Conservation
Smooth-Coated Otter: The Unexpected Visitor in Goa’s Mangroves
Otters living in the highly modified mangroves and reclaimed lands on the coast of Goa offer new insights otter behaviour and inform future conservation efforts
Conservation
With its Habitat in Danger, the Grizzled Giant Squirrel Struggles to Survive
A survey in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary reveals that the population of grizzled giant squirrel, a species endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka, has fallen by 78-85 per cent
Conservation
Hoolock Gibbons: Return of the Apes of Northeast India
Multilevel action plans that closely involve and benefit local communities are the only way forward to save the endangered gibbons of India
Conservation
The Greater Adjutant’s All-Woman Army
The greater adjutant has been called many things — ugly, filthy, a bone-swallowing bad omen — until Purnima Devi Barman, and her army of 2OO women, decided to adopt the endangered bird
Hero
Migratory Birds: How Far Do They Travel?
Why do birds migrate, and how do they do it?
Explainer
Global Insect Apocalypse: Why India Must Worry
According to scientists, 4O per cent of insect species are likely to become extinct globally in the coming years
Conservation
Offtrack in Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
The colonial-era Meleng Railway line cuts through this sanctuary in Assam, threatening the wildlife within
Conservation
Spotting a Mighty Troop of Stump-tailed Macaques
Lack of competing primates and the absence of indiscriminate hunting has allowed the stump-tailed macaque population to thrive in the forests of Hollongapar
Species
Wildlife Warriors: The Guardians of Kaziranga Brave On
Under conditions of extreme hardship, the protectors of Kaziranga battle numerous challenges to ensure the safety and security of the animals and the park
Wild Vault
Nirmal Kulkarni: Wild Child of the Western Ghats
As herpetologist, conservationist, eco resort partner, and more, Nirmal Kulkarni wears many hats. But it is his fascination for reptiles and jungles that defines his life and career
Hero
Cornered but not Defeated
Sustained conservation efforts and community engagement is critical to save the lion-tailed macaque and its disappearing habitat
Conservation
Pride of the Western Ghats: The Elusive Lion-tailed Macaque
The life and times of one of India’s most endangered primates
Photo Story
On the Hunt for the Semi-aquatic Anacondas of Brazil
Scouring the slow-moving waters of the Brazilian Pantanal to observe the super-sized green anaconda.
Photo Story
The Best of Mexico is in the Yucatan
Extensive Mayan ruins and unique wildlife are a few of the treasures found in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula
Photo Story
In Praise of the Pantanal
In the pristine tropical wetland of Brazil’s Pantanal, South America’s highest concentration of wildlife and biodiversity flourishes
Photo Story
Road Trip Through Iceland
Travelling the Ring Road around Iceland is the best way to experience the geographical beauty and unique landscape of this small Arctic country.
Photo Story
South American Jaguars: Caiman Hunters of the Pantanal
A large population of South American jaguars is uniquely adapted to this region of Brazil, hunting in the day for their favourite prey caimans and capybaras
Photo Story
That Worm in your Garden could be a Snake
Home gardens host a lot more biodiversity than we suspect
Wild Vault
The Varied Ecosystems of Peninsular India
This triangular land mass is bursting with life
Habitat
Folktales from Maharashtra: The Mouse’s Share
An Adivasi folktale about mice and men reflects the belief system of the indigenous Warli people and affords a conservation lesson for all
Wild Vault
Ashish Kushwaha on Painting the Urban Jungle
What happens if you put a rhino in a construction site?
Hero