'Censuses mean little'

A POPULATION expert sharply critical of India's achievements in curbing population growth. A demographer with scant respect for the census. A …

Goats, sheep drive India’s livestock numbers

The number of camels, pigs, donkeys, horses, mules, ponies and indigenous cattle breeds has drastically declined

Only 10% deaths in Africa are registered: Here’s why it is a global concern

Cause of nearly 92% reported deaths in low-income countries, including the African nations, is not known 

Tiger Census 2018: None found in Buxa, Palamu and Dampa reserves

The presence of tigers in these reserves was scarce in 2014 too; nation-wide population up 30 per cent

The extent of India’s energy poverty

More than 80 million households in India lack access to electricity; about 75 million of these are in rural areas

Economics of population

The 15th Finance Commission has recommended the use of Census 2011 instead of the norm of considering Census 1971, and this change has led to …

Bihar to conduct dolphin census

The initiative is a part of clean Ganga mission and will involve use of hi-tech machines

Catch a tiger by its pug

Accurate tiger census methodology assumes significance in the context of the recent controversy over the declining number of tigers in the Indian …

The declining infant mortality rate indicates that our growth rate will decline further

Amulya Ratna Nanda, registrar-general and census commissioner of India, feels the country has made some progress in bringing down its growth rate

India’s first census of waterbodies is a much awaited one but experts question the methodology; here is why

There is confusion regarding the definition of waterbodies used; there are also discrepancies about whether waterbodies are in rural or …

Will India's camels amble forever into the sunset?

Decreasing use of camels in agriculture and transportation, diminishing pasturelands and an erroneous legislation by the Rajasthan government is …

Access to drinking water, power has improved in slum areas, says slum census report

63.5 per cent slum dwellers in Indian cities have mobile phone connections, but only 19 per cent have toilets

DNA from air may help identify, track animals in the wild: Studies

The findings could help understand the composition of animal communities and detect the spread of non-native species

No need for a new, separate leopard census, say experts

This is when leopard deaths in India have reached a five-year high, with over a third poached

Why fixing Africa's data gaps will lead to better health policies

Commitment may be the first step towards affordable health care, but more needs to be done to harness the power of data for public health

Over half of India’s cattle, goats, sheep and swine are non-descript: Government

New government report finds fewer indigenous individuals among these species, although experts blame non-registration of breeds as a reason

Bhitarkanika census finds an increase of 15 saltwater crocodiles from last year

There are now 1,757 crocodiles in the park, the census conducted on January 3, 2020, found. Last year, there were 1,742

Bihar’s earthquake toll due to poor condition of houses

Census data shows Bihar among the three states with lowest proportion of houses which can be categorised ‘good’

The real bad news

The most prosperous regions and communities in India have a bias against the female sex. Religion-based data shows us the biggest development …

Non-binary genders need more visibility in India’s Census 2021

Separating sex and gender in the country’s biggest socioeconomic survey is imperative

Sarna Dharam Code: Of Adivasi identity and eco-nationalism

Down To Earth speaks to experts on Adivasi culture about the recent resolution passed by the Jharkhand Assembly, asking for a separate religion …

Conservation centres in 5 states among host of ideas to protect vultures

The National Board for Wildlife approved an action plan for vultures recently   

67 elephants died in Odisha in last nine months

Poaching, train accidents and electrocution killed more than half of these elephants, says Wildlife Society of Odisha

Home alone: why Goa has the highest proportion of locked houses in India

Goa is witnessing a realty boom. People are building houses here, but they are hardly ever home. Talking to some of these owners helps us …

Aerial survey to count elephants in Africa

More than 18 countries will be covered in the project that aims to help in checking the decline in elephant population