Category: Forest & Biodiversity
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India is home to 80.9 million hectares of forest land. Home to hundreds of tribes, our forests are a source of livelihood to them.“During the jackfruit season, they come specifically for jackfruit. So you allow the elephant to eat jackfruit and then it goes. So these are years of wisdom living in these spaces.”, mentions […]
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By LMB Staff
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Helping prevent full scale Mongol invasions in India, the Himalayas like any other mountain range, have deterred men from crossing it since its creation. Evolving at high altitudes cutting it off from human activities, the sensitive regional ecosystem responds dramatically to new anthropogenic developments and climate change. An essential biodiversity hotspot in these regions are […]
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By LMB Staff
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Nature rewards those who show patience. It certainly happened for this wildlife photographer from Amravati. Anurag Gawande started capturing big cats through his lens as a hobby but soon his passion turned into a lucrative career despite his loved ones’ inhibitions. Over the years, he has managed to seize some of the most breathtaking moments […]
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By LMB Staff
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After nearly two decades of talks, a historic step has been taken by the UN member nations in order to conserve and use marine biological diversity in a sustainable manner. This ‘High Seas Treaty’ is pivotal in bringing  30 percent of the earth’s land and sea under protection by the end of the decade, as […]
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By LMB Staff
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The human-wildlife relationship has become strenuous over the decades. With growing human population, rapid development and shrinkage of natural habitat, the encounter between wild animals in man dominated areas has become inevitable.  Now adding to the woes, scientists at the University of Washington have published research in the journal  Nature Climate Change that states warming […]
By Bhadra Mahapatra
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In this episode of Eco Lens, we look at the vast trench of wildlife and how it has been changing over these years, through the eyes of National award-winning filmmaker Akanksha Sood Singh. We get a glimpse into her life, work and key learnings from her craft. ‘So, somewhere down the line, I saw the […]
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By LMB Staff
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For years, the concept of a “wood wide web” has suggested that plants, like humans, have a complex network facilitated by underground fungi. These mycorrhizal fungi connect the roots of different plants to form an extensive network that aids in communication, nutrient exchange, and more. However, a new study published in the journal Nature Ecology […]
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By LMB Staff
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The tribals in Rajasthan’s Pali district, have always struggled in earning livelihood.They used to collect fruits like Custard Apples, Jamun from forests and walk for 20kms to sell them in the villages. But due to their short shelf life, they were forced to sell them at a low price or worse throw them away. Rajesh […]
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By LMB Staff
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Sacred Groves are communally guarded forests that the locals revere as the abode of their deities. Nations within the Asian and African continents have communities that consider nature sacred and holy, resulting in indigenous practices revolving around the worshipping of such places. The forest dwelling locals believe that unnecessary activities within these regions might anger […]
By Danish Alam
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The province of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina recently passed a law to protect an ecosystem thrice the size of London, and became the cause of celebration for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on World Wetlands Day 2023 on February 2. This day commemorates the signing of the Ramsar Convention. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands […]
By Danish Alam
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In a recent study done by researchers from Saint Louis University, elephants play a key role in creating forests that store more atmospheric carbon and maintain the biodiversity of forests in Africa.  As per the study, if the already critically endangered elephants become extinct, the rainforest of central and west Africa, the second largest rainforest […]
By Bhadra Mahapatra
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The relationship between forests and water is a critical issue that must be accorded high priority. Forest management measures can increase water yield, regulate water flow, and reduce drought stress for a forest. Forests influence the amount of water available from groundwater, surface watercourses, and water bodies in various ways. It includes intercepting precipitation, evaporating […]
By Bhadra Mahapatra
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What is ‘Blue Halo S’? The term ‘Blue Halo’ can be divided into two parts. ‘Blue’ refers to the resources from oceans, and ‘Halo’ refers to the benefits. In simple words, when the resources from the ocean are protected, and well-managed, it benefits the environment and impacts our livelihood.  The government of Indonesia, with the […]
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By LMB Staff
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The Indian state, of Uttarakhand, became the hotbed of yet another man-induced climate crisis as several buildings in the hilly town of Joshimath, situated in the Chamoli district, started developing cracks. Joshimath, a town of 20,000 people, which has both a religious and tourist attraction, is sinking.  Officials and locals maintain that cracks have developed […]
By Bhadra Mahapatra
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In an unprecedented move, Brazil created the country’s first Ministry of Indigenous Peoples with a mandate to oversee policies ranging from land demarcation to healthcare and initiated a host of pro-environment measures. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued six decrees around anti-government and indigenous measures including mining in Indigenous lands and protected areas, plans […]
By Smitha Verma
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Terai Arc Landscape is an 810km stretch spread across India and Nepal. Nepal’s forests occupy roughly 45% of the land, with the forests of Terai serving as a source of livelihood for people.“Forests provide not only the timber we use but also other ecological services. They also help to build the resilience of the particular […]
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By LMB Staff
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On December 19, the biggest biodiversity conference COP15 came to a historic conclusion.  In a landmark decision aimed at safeguarding biodiversity, nations have agreed to protect a third of the planet for nature by 2030. The most significant part of the agreement is a commitment to protect 30% of land and water considered important for […]
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By LMB Staff
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As India’s National Capital Region remains gripped in severe air pollution,750 school students from Gurgaon and Faridabad got together on December 13, 2022, to celebrate ‘Aravalli Day’. The young ones were joined by their teachers, Dr Rajendra Singh popularly known as the Waterman of India, Diwan Singh from the Ridge Bachao Andolan, Haji Ibrahim from […]
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By LMB Staff
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The Indian state of Tamil Nadu is well on its way to become a climate smart state. On Thursday,  Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated a two-day Climate Change Summit in Chennai and laid down the roadmap on how he intends to turn the state into a ‘climate smart state’ in the coming years.  The flagship […]
By Bhadra Mahapatra
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As COP15 enters into its third day, a coalition has called upon the world leaders to protect primary forests as part of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The Primary Forest Alliance (PFA) demanded a moratorium on industrial development in primary forests  The day also saw 46 countries signing a statement that said “collaborate and conclude […]
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By LMB Staff
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The stage is all set for the 15th conference of UN conventions on biological diversity or COP15 on December 7 in Montreal, Canada. The agenda of the convention is going to be around taking a call post-2020 global biodiversity.Representatives from 192 countries will be framing guidelines for the next decade. The focus will remain on […]
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By LMB Staff
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The COP27 Presidency connected climate and biodiversity on Wednesday, marking the opening of Biodiversity Day at COP27. The day kicked off with a high-level opening on “Connecting Climate and Biodiversity” that set the agenda to address the urgent need for integrated responses at scale. The day also saw the launch of the ENACT initiative for […]
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By LMB Staff
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North-east India witnessed unusually heavy rainfall since May, resulting in one of the worst floods ever recorded in Assam. The unseasonal floods have caused mass destruction to the villages, crops, and houses of the local communities. LetMeBreathe brings you the stories of those hit by the devastating floods in Assam and why it is important […]
By Pritam Das
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Sunderbans has many Binas’ in its various corners. Women who have been impacted by livelihood losses arising out of climate conflict and unknowingly pushed into trafficking.    “A person called me while I was walking and tried to speak with me. And all of a sudden they made me inhale something, after which I don’t remember […]
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By Payel Sen
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a heartwarming speech, urges developed nations to deliver a clear-cut roadmap to address Loss & Damage and double adaptation support President Al-Sisi, COP-27 President Sameh Shoukry,  Excellencies, Dear friends, In just days, our planet’s population will cross a new threshold. The 8 billionth member of our human family will be […]
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By LMB Staff
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A little-known disease,  till about a month back, has now taken gigantic proportions in India. The lumpy skin disease (LSD) that affects cows especially has spread across 15 states in India from July to September 2022. According to the data from The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, over 20 lakh animals, and 97,435 […]
By Smitha Verma
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These youngsters have given many people life goals – on how to keep the planet clean and green. In the past three years, under the umbrella organisation Vrikshit, students from all over the country have got together to volunteer for clean-up drives. Their work isn’t just limited to the cities but has expanded to mountains, […]
By Sahil Sharma
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The indigenous community in Tamil Nadu, Kurumba is listed by the Union government as one of India’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups. The Kurumbas are primarily honey collectors, apart from doing small-scale farming for a living, marked by low-level literacy, and economic backwardness among other indicators. Saraswathi, a Kurumba Community member from Banagudi Village, says, “Our […]
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By Payel Sen
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The urgency to deal with the climate emergency at a global level has resulted in countries adopting a target driven approach to reduce carbon emissions through Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). As widely reported, India’s position as the third largest CO2 emitter has brought it under pressure to undertake ambitious emissions reduction. This has drawn India’s vast and diverse forest ecosystems […]
By Manju Menon
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“For I have learned To look on nature, not as in the hour Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes The still, sad music of humanity” Wordsworth’s verses on getting wiser and learning the relation between nature and humanity is a reminder how humans have been thoughtlessly exploiting mother earth through the years. The International Day […]
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By Payel Sen