Crossing the rainbow

With the coming of the Rajiv Gandhi Mission on Watershed Development, a major change took place in the degraded wasteland that was Jhabua

States with more than 75% forest cover won't have to divert revenue land

Forest Advisory Committee decided this while suggesting that instead states with deficient green land should divert their non-forest land …

'Ours is a model of natural farming'

A couple in Kerala demonstrate that barren land can be brought back to life without using any external inputs.

Irula tribals put their skills to new uses

Institutional support helped rehabilitate the Irulas of Tamil Nadu after their traditional occupation of snake-catching was outlawed.

When the old gods died

From a wooded upland Jhabua became an example of extreme ecological degradation. The story of its recovery is remarkable

An initiative to revive native trees of Delhi

'I Love You Delhi' is a novel initiative, part of which is to revive the native tree species of Delhi. Sohail Madan explains the revival process

Making the most of little plots of land

A Filipino research institute has blended agro-forestry and bio-intensive forming technicques to help small farmers produce more, without further …

The science of planting (and nurturing) trees

Why monsoon plantation programs can benefit from a more nuanced, evidence-based approach

This Tamil Nadu man turned 100 acres of barren land to an indigenous forest

D Saravanan dedicated 30 years of his life, sweat and dreams to what we today call Aranya Forest and Sanctuary

Ghana plants 5 million trees in one day

The government plans to make Green Ghana Day an annual event, with the target expanded to 100 million by 2024

Delhi tree felling: Absent forest policy, absentee Tree Authority

Between 2014 and 2017, the government planted 28,12,000 trees against the target of 36, 57,000, leaving a shortfall of 845,000 trees

Desert healer

Ruhi Kandhari travels to a cold desert in Himachal Pradesh to see how a former bureaucrat is greening it

What India can learn from failure of European forests to mitigate climate change

Replacing native species of natural forests with exotic ones reduces their effectiveness as carbon sinks

The long shadow of colonial forestry is a threat to savannas and grasslands

Savanna and grassland store up to a third of the world’s carbon in its soils. They keep streams flowing, recharge groundwater, and provide …

Real state of India’s forests

India has been trying to achieve to put 33 per cent of its geographical area under forest, but the latest report shows that it is yet to reach 22 …

Compensatory afforestation: 70% data with ministry incorrect, writes top forest officer

Inspector General of Forests AK Mohanty sent letter to all states, alleging discrepancies

Regreening of Japan

The Japanese have regenerated their forests twice after their large-scale destruction. But today, it is doing so at the cost of tropical forests …

Orphaned by apathy

Hidden from the outside world, this is the plight of the Van Taungiyas. They were hired during the British rule as resident labourers to plant …

Repeal or amend CAF: tribal organisations

A petition by tribal organisations says the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act violates constitutional rights and affects livelihoods of …

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (August 30, 2022)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal  

Tamil Nadu’s innovative methods of seed plantation

The state has been trying out a number of novel and unique ways to plant seeds of various tree species and ensure that they survive and make …

Eyes on the forest

Noida residents and activists are fighting to ensure their city forest is not converted into a concretised space

In 10 states, compensatory afforestation violating forest rights and conservation laws

All the 52 compensatory afforestation plantations in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha were taken up on community forest lands

Karnataka forest encroachments outpace reclamation efforts

The state witnesses the third highest encroachment of forests in India after Madhya Pradesh and Assam

Win some, lose some: States miffed with Centre for seeking afforestation land to 'develop' Andamans

States give the cold shoulder to Andamans & Nicobar Islands that wants them to compensate for development in its territory