What is a forest - an explainer

Along with my colleague Aditi Tandon, I look at what is defined as forests in India. MORE ... 

Is the new forest policy draft missing the wood for the trees?

The draft National Forest Policy 2018 has a strong focus for producing wood for industrial use. It is likely to undo the gains made by the National Forest Policy of 1988. MORE ... 

There is much livelihood support from forests for the poor communities living close by.

Silent Valley: A controversy that focused global attention on a rainforest 40 years ago

In the late 1970s, when the Kerala Government proposed a 120 MW hydro-electric project that would have drowned substantial parts of the Silent Valley rainforests, it did not expect a systematic science-based opposition from a citizen's group, which was picked up nationally and internationally. The final refusal came from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and river Kunthi continues to flow even during worst summers. MORE ... 

Much of these rich rainforests would have been submerged under the reservoir.

A deity is saving Kolli Hills from being lost to industrial agriculture forever

The sacred groves of Kolli Hills are critical for the communities to stay self sufficient. It is the fear of the divine that is protecting what is remaining of them. MORE ...

P. Arapalli in front of Chinnamal Sholai.

Sacred groves of Kerala: Backed by divinity, but not legality

Sacred groves in Kerala are facing multiple pressures. But there is also a ray of hope. MORE ...

Theyyam at Neeliyarkottam.

Sacred groves of Kodagu: How faith is helping conserve Karnataka's protected forests

Water for the Kaveri and bees for pollinating coffee plantations, the ecosystem services of 1,214 sacred groves of Kodagu is immense. Even though Kodagu groves are protected forests under the Indian Forest Act, they also face pressures similar to the other forest patches in other parts of the country. MORE ...

The oracle at the Manil Ayyappa sacred grove.

Bringing coffee back into the shade

With insufficient rains over the Western Ghats during this year’s southwest monsoon, there is a shortage of water in the reservoirs across the Cauvery in Karnataka. This has led to the flaring of the water sharing dispute with the lower riparian state of Tamil Nadu in the recent days. While this acrimony continues, eco-certification as a form of payment for ecosystem services is becoming popular in Kodagu district, so that coffee farmers protect the forests under which they grow their crop, thereby preserving the water flow into the Cauvery. These measures also help to maintain the climate resilience in the river’s catchment and command. MORE … 

B.B. Thammaiah in his coffee farm where the coffee plants are grown under native shade trees.