One-third of Africa's tropical plant species are on the verge of extinction
A large part of western Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo could lose 40 per cent of their trees, shrubs, herbs and …
The Earth's biodiversity could be much greater than we thought
A widely touted study proposes a total of 8.7 million species, but they could be 10 times more
Mira Behn: A friend of nature
The urge to be close to nature guided Madeleine Slade, who came to be known as Mira Behn, throughout her life
Genetic theft by Kew botanists
An ongoing debate in the UK questions the ethics behind the acquisition by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew of acquiring tropical plants through …
Notch in the mountains
HIMALAYAN BIODIVERSITY-ACTION PLAN·Edited by Uppeandra Dhar·Himvikas Publication No. 10, published for the G B Pant Institute of …
RNAs online
Scientists discover how molecules travel along a veritable 'information superhighway' inside plants
Secret life of plants
A new book reinforces the fact that plants have intelligence and a complex sensory network
Capturing nature
CHHOBI MELA–2001·exhibition of photographs on nature and wildlife·The Academy of Fine Arts·Kolkata·January 2001
Global Eco Watch: How climate may have helped exacerbate Spanish Flu
Down To Earth brings you the top happenings in the world of global ecology
The seeds of trouble
Privatisation of tea and rubber plantations has endangered the flora and fauna in southern Sri Lanka
Dying repositories of the world's biodiversity
Rich in flora and fauna, rain forests are nevertheless ecologically fragile. Their loss due to human depredation could result in environmental …
The Cherry Blossoms of Japan
Green is the all pervading colour of nature. Beatiful and breathtaking. But not can stir the soul and the mind as the dazziling white of sakura, …
Human reproductive technologies like sperm freezing and IVF could be used to save threatened species
They could solve genetic and cost issues and prevent inbreeding depression among such species
‘The ship has reached the shore’: The planet finally has a treaty to protect life in the high seas
The high seas are areas of oceans that lies beyond countries’ national waters. These are the largest habitat on Earth and home to …
Khar’s experimentation with Himalayan nettle brings recognition
Himalayan nettle, a fibre-yielding plant, has become an important livelihood option for people living in the remote mountainous villages of the …
How the warming world could turn many plants and animals into climate refugees
Almost unprecedented rate of global temperature increase means that species need to migrate at rapid rates
Green power
The seed of a humble tree may be a substitute for diesel and could hasten rural electrification
A ban on common sense
Various restrictions imposed to protect the environment at Nanda Devi in the Himalaya have disturbed the rural lifestyle and economy, doing …
Forays of Ignorance
There is something seriously amiss in the way studies of wildlife have been conducted in Sikkim
Mesoamerica, origin of several global crops, faces floristic biodiversity loss: Study
Mesoamerica is seeing a decline in the wild relatives of potatoes, beans, squash and maize due to loss of wild spaces and mechanisation of agriculture
Thirty one per cent of world’s cacti facing threat of extinction: IUCN
Unscrupulous collection of live plants and seeds for trade and private ornamental collection affects 47 per cent of the threatened species
Fungi crucial to diversity
Pathogenic fungi kill seedlings of the same species growing near each other in forests and promote biodiversity
Climate effect: Airborne pollen in United States may go up by 2050
Pollen season will start earlier and last longer throughout the US, simulations by researchers show
World Biodiversity Day: Ever more important amid COVID-19 pandemic
Various levels and forms of biodiversity such as ecosystems, species, genes across all taxonomic ranges are threatened, and facing an alarming …
Database launched on flora in peninsular India
The work started with digitising the flora of Karnataka, but was later expanded to cover other states