What is sand mining? Sand mining is the extraction of naturally formed sand from river banks, riverbeds, wetlands, or coasts. Sand is a silicate mineral and is of high value in construction, which is the primary driver of sand mining. It is sometimes called a ‘minor’ mineral in terms of value, but its use is widespread, and it is the second-most used resource on Earth, after water. Experts have sounded an alarm over the looming tragedy of the sand commons. What makes sand mining legal or illegal? Sand mining can be termed as legal or illegal depending on whether a particular mining operation ..read more

Every five years, India’s Finance Commission (FC), a constitutional body instituted by the President, determines the criteria for the devolution of the tax revenue by the Centre to the States. Of the total demarcated fund pool, a percentage of the monies allocated to States are earmarked for forest conservation. This is called as the ‘Forest & Ecology Grant’ or ‘Ecological Fiscal Transfers’ (EFTS). Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh. Photo credit: Dr. Anish Andheria This forest or green grant is crucial for incentivising the States to conserve forests, and also to aim to do better ..read more

Tarun Nair is a conservation biologist with an affinity for crocodilians and rivers. Leading the Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (WCT’s) Makara Programme, he works along North-Central Indian riverscapes that harbour the last remaining populations of the Critically Endangered gharial, a fish-eating crocodilian. To understand his work, Rizwan Mithawala spoke to him over email between boat surveys, power cuts and unstable internet. Here are some excerpts: Why are gharials so special? The gharial can be described, simply, as a large, long-snouted, fish-eating, riverdwelling crocodilian endemic to t ..read more

It is interesting to behold the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial trajectory of forest governance in India. The forests have been viewed through a spectrum of administrative lenses over the past few centuries, ranging from subsistence to extraction in the past, to sustainability, conservation, and climate action in the present. Photo credit: Dr. Anish Andheria “The British brought with them the ideals of western industrialization which championed private property and flourished on resource-extraction. The same seeds were sown in their newest colony to birth generations of environmenta ..read more

Meet Prachi Paranjpye, 28, conservation and social psychologist, researcher What inspired you? My parents love travelling and so I was bitten by the travel bug very early, traversing India with them. As a teenager it prompted me to intern with a tour company so I could travel as much as I wanted. During my trips, I realised that I felt happiest when I was out in the wilderness, in nature. As I became aware of conservation issues, I knew I wanted to work to protect forests. However, working in conservation is not a conventional path, and I assumed that I would only be able to do this part-time ..read more

An increase of 1,540 sq. km. of ‘forest cover’ in the recently published Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 started the year on a ‘green’ note. This continues the trend of recent ISFRs that consistently manage to announce increased forest cover by cleverly tweaking the definition of forests. Thus, it is important to read the fine print more than the headline. Photo: Dr. Anish Andheria The ISFR uses a canopy cover metric to define a forest which enables the classification of plantations under the same category. This effectively nullifies the destruction of primary growth forest cover as ..read more

We are pleased to announce that the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) has won the prestigious UNDP Mahatma Award for Biodiversity 2023. WCT bagged this coveted award because of the success of its flagship ‘Heater of Hope’ project, which involves the deployment of an energy-efficient, biomass-fueled water heater in thousands of households situated within the tiger corridor to the east of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Additionally, the water heater is reducing the collection and use of firewood, thereby arresting forest deg ..read more

Where a vehicle doesn’t reach, Girish Punjabi walks with the forest staff installing camera traps and recording signs and tracks of tigers, leopards, dhole, and sloth bears. He and his team covered nearly 850 km. on foot in 2019-20 alone, meticulously surveying a very important stretch of forest in the northern Western Ghats, a landscape he has been working in for the past 10 years. Girish Punjabi installs camera traps along with the forest staff in Tillari Conservation Reserve. Credit: Rizwan Mithawala/WCT Punjabi, Conservation Biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), has been ga ..read more

It was 9.30 a.m. in May 2022, and the forest had already gone silent under the overpowering blaze of the sun. Just as our vehicle drove up a small but steep slope, leading to a large dike that encircled a medium-sized pool of water, I noticed a movement – it was a sub-adult male tiger about to settle down in a shaded patch smack in the middle of the dike. He glanced cursorily at our vehicle before looking away. After a five-minute grooming session, he stood up, stretched, and began walking along the dike away from us. Within moments we noticed an adult gaur, about 80 m. away, staring at the ti ..read more

Protecting and enhancing wildlife populations could be a global warming game changer New science recently published reveals that protecting and enhancing the populations of even a limited number of wildlife species could help to keep rising global temperatures below the critical 1.5 °C threshold, while simultaneously reversing biodiversity decline and offering multiple other co-benefits. Photo credit: Dr. Anish Andheria Protecting and enhancing populations of key wildlife species across the world could significantly enhance natural carbon capture and storage and play a critical role mitigating ..read more