Road construction projects are destroying Goa's traditional wetlands

Intensive infrastructure projects in Goa are threatening a unique wetland system that protects the state from flooding

Policies must be aimed at building capacity of soils, not promoting agrochemicals: experts

Scientists and practitioners deliberate on how to reverse soil degradation by taking cognizance of principal causes and policy gaps

Parliamentary panel finds tobacco harmful for forests

The panel found that financial benefits due to tobacco cultivation were negligible as compared to losses suffered in terms of deaths 

Fertilising frustration

A so-called farmer's cooperative fertiliser company is ruining agricultural land in Uttar Pradesh

Bringing in devastation

Refugee movements the world over have had an unfortunate aftermath: the degradation of environment. The UN hcr has now come out with a set of …

Watering down concern

GROUND WATER DEPLETION, LAND DEGRADATION AND IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN INDIA·B D Dhawan· Commonwealth Publishers· Pages 200&…

Creeping malady

The once-fertile state of Gujarat now faces a future plagued by extreme soil salinity and large-scale land degradation

Pollution, heat affect cognition more among those from disadvantaged sections: Study

The effects of temperature are more pronounced in the rural parts of China and India

Quarter of the Amazon at point of no return, says new report; still possible to save remainder

Some 66% of the Amazon is subject to some type of constant or permanent pressure

Farakka barrage flayed

Going overboard with development?

A new project seeks to examine the environmental degradation due to development in Kochi

Journey into the market-place

Papua New Guinea has come a long way from a society that began cultivating crops in 8000 BC and had no need for a market economy. It came in …

Consumers, private sector crucial for fighting drought, land degradation: UN

Currently, policy instruments and investments to promote the spread of sustainable land management technologies are non-existent

Poor land use can cost the world $23 trillion by 2050

If the world spends even a fraction of the predicted loss, it can reverse land degradation, which affects the poorest the most

African Drought Conference: leaders focus on risk mitigation measures

African countries were urged to move away from crisis management approach to risk management

Holistic approach makes agrarian systems more climate-resilient: Study

Initial watershed development interventions in the studied areas intensified agriculture, but led to declining groundwater tables and …

In photos: Hard times for India’s wool industry

India’s wool industry may have set off on a decline: Degrading pastureland and an increase in agricultural activity has affected sheep herding …

Africa’s drylands are getting more support. How to make the most of this

The UN recently launched the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide

Local govts must be empowered to act against desertification: Developing nations

Lack of power devolution between state and local governments exacerbates the problem of degradation, say experts

Cold desert regions need special attention: Experts

The expanse of deserts in these regions appears to be growing because of progressive melting of glaciers due to climate change

‘Only plantation cannot restore degraded land’

Down To Earth speaks to Ravindra Adusumilli of the Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Network, India about government policy on tackling …

Beijing is sinking due to excessive groundwater extraction

A new study has found a direct correlation between depression in the surface and pumping out of groundwater

Assessing poverty-deforestation links: evidence from Swat, Pakistan

This blog is based on a paper that contributed to the debate on the links between poverty and forestry degradation; the view that due to poverty …

Bay watch!

COASTAL WATERS OF THE WORLD: TRENDS, THREATS, AND STRATEGIES·Don Hinrichsen· Island Press, Washington, 1997· 276 pages

In defence of shifting agriculture

IT HAS taken almost two decades of consistent research into the northeastern tribal practice of shifting agriculture for P S Ramakrishna, …