Category: Forest & Biodiversity
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A building can gain heat from various sources and one of the easiest ways to cool it, is turning the roof into a green roof. Green roofs, often dubbed as ‘vegetated heavens’ or ‘living oases,’ are not your ordinary rooftops. A rooftop transformed into a flourishing ecosystem, boasting a waterproofing membrane as its guardian, a […]
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By Naziya Parveen
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Butterflies aren’t just pretty creatures, they play a vital role in our ecosystem and food production. After bees, they are the second most important pollinators in the insect world. Unfortunately, this is changing as the vast urbanisation, deforestation, forest fires, excessive use of pesticides is acting as deterrent to the population of butterflies and moths. […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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Kat Zhou is an award-winning nature photographer based in San Francisco, California. Awarded the Ocean Art 2022 award for her photograph of a Caribbean Reef Octopus with its eggs Zhou’s passion for underwater photography has led to creation of textures and patterns, perfectly complementing her bold photography style. She has also won the 2023 Underwater Photographer […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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In the summer of 2023, Quebec, Canada witnessed an alarming surge in extreme fires, which were found to be twice as likely and more intense due to human-caused global heating, according to researchers. The World Weather Attribution (WWA), a climate change research initiative, recently released a report highlighting the connection between climate change and the […]
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By LMB Staff
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In a historic move, the people of Ecuador have rejected drilling of oil in the Amazon protected area. Almost 60 percent of the voters put a halt on the oil extraction development plans in the Yasuni National Park on Monday. The Yasuni National Park is inhabited by the Tagaeri and Taromenani, who live in voluntary […]
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By Evelyn Bombley
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Climate change has put Australia’s Great Barrier Reef under threat, with ocean temperature rising, resulting in the bleaching of coral reefs in the past couple of years. According to the The Australian Institute of Marine Science, “although the reef’s condition had stabilised during a “relatively mild” summer in 2023, it remained in a precarious position.” […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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In this episode of Conservation Conversation, we explore the vast kingdom of fungi. Fungi and climate change are related in many ways. Some fungi will adapt to an interchanging world and will continue to the flows and fluxes of life thriving. While some others in symbiosis with plants capture and store carbon from the atmosphere. […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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There are 62 tribal groups recognised and residing in Odisha. Among them, Kondhas are one of the largest groups of tribes in Odisha.They are largely found in Koraput. And the Dongria Kondh tribe is found in the Niyamgiri Hills. In this episode of People of Our Forest, we are exploring the lives of two tribal […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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When it comes to conservation, the two most important things are ‘Rescuing’ and ‘Rehabilitating’. And this story is all about Rescuing and Rehabilitating Reptiles  In India, around 90% of snake bites are caused by the ‘big four’ among the crawlers – Common Krait, Indian Cobra, Russell’s Viper and Saw Scaled Viper. (*Source WHO) When it […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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The rise in the urban landscape has become one of the major reasons for the bird population decline.  “For the last few years, the count of birds has been delayed. Even for the migrant birds as well as the resident birds.So, I believe, this is an impact of deforestation, as well as the construction that […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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The rise in global temperatures is making the growing season of trees longer. While the temperature is acting as a beneficiary for the spurt of trees, this is coming at a larger cost. While the trees in size are growing, the strength is decreasing, making the trees longer but eventually weaker. This is having a […]
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By LMB Staff
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The people of Canada and the U.S were caught in an apocalyptic scenario, where the sky was covered in layers of thick smog, blue skies all around the region turning pale yellow, with skyscrapers camouflaging the smoke. Wildfires were reported from British Columbia and Alberta in the West, and the Northwest Territories and Yukon in […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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With approximately 70 million indigenous peoples relying on forests to sustain their livelihoods, their vital connection to nature is undeniable. Astonishingly, despite constituting a mere 5 percent of the global population, these extraordinary guardians oversee the protection of an astounding 22 percent of the Earth’s surface and an incredible 80 percent of its biodiversity—an invaluable […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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World Biodiversity Day, also known as the International Day for Biological Diversity, is celebrated annually on May 22. It aims to raise awareness about the importance of biodiversity and its vital role in sustaining life on Earth. The day serves as a reminder of the need to protect and conserve biodiversity for present and future […]
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By LMB Staff
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A patch of green in any city is a welcome sight. Not just for the eyes, but even for the lungs. Adding to that if the tree is endemic to the country then it aids in reducing air pollution at a faster rate. The next time you think of planting a tree it could not […]
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By Smitha Verma
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On our show ‘People of Our Forest’, where we focus on individuals and communities who are living in pristine and enriched biodiversity, and safeguarding it for the future generations, we have a story from the land of seven sisters of northeast India, Arunachal Pradesh. This is the story of Shaleena Phinya, a young woman, who […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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According to a World Wildlife Foundation report, the Arctic is warming twice as fast as anywhere on earth, and the sea ice is declining by more than 10% every 10 years. The snow sheets in the Poles are melting, and this is affecting the hibernation pattern of animals like brown bears, says Debasish Banerjee, a […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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In the Amazon rainforests of Brazil, a new Study has revealed the crucial role played by indigenous forests in protecting the region’s environment from the harmful impacts of wildfires. Researchers found that these forests act as natural filters, absorbing noxious fumes while also preventing the spread of diseases that can arise from wildfire outbreaks. With […]
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By Danish Alam
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Meet Purnima Devi Barman, an UN award winning wildlife biologist from Assam, who has been working for the last 20 years towards creating awareness and protecting the Greater Adjutant Stork also called as ‘Hargila’ in local language. She has built an all-women army, the Hargila Baideos (Stork Sisters) and mobilised an entire community to save […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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The Western Ghats is one of the eight hotspots of biological diversity in the world and is spread across six states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In the last six decades, the forest cover in the Western Ghats has been severely fragmented due to human activities. Meera Chandran, co-founder of Forest First Samithi, […]
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By Danish Alam
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In this episode, we have Archana Soreng, former UN Secretary General, Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. She belongs to the Kharia tribe in Odisha, India.  She is a researcher and has been working on research and advocacy on indigenous people, tribal communities, climate action and biodiversity conservation.  “Indigenous women are the ones who have […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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According to a UN report, the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world. Climate change has become one of the biggest threats to the population of various species as it impacts their habitat, behaviour pattern, and migration. In this episode, we have Dipin Sreepadmam, a wildlife photographer based […]
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By Bhadra Mahapatra
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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 Danish Alam
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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 Bhadra Mahapatra
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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 […]
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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