Clash over ‘Green Gold’: Chhattisgarh tribals to file FIR against forest official over tendu leaf collection

The official had seized tendu leaves collected by tribals which they wanted to sell on their own instead of to the government  

Red Colobus: Conserving these Old World primates could help save Africa’s tropical forests, says study

Colobine species are leaf-eaters, compared to the omnivore cercopithecines; Africa has 17 red colobus, from Senegal to Zanzibar  

Betel cultivation is in danger due to climate change

Losses in betel cultivation have reached such an extent in the last few decades that most farmers in Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba have given …

Kendu leaves: 29 Odisha villages win complete autonomy, but still a long way to go

Most villagers earned more than Rs 15,000 this year, over seven times their past earnings

India has registered a global first of a plant fungus infecting humans

Fungal infections are expected to pose a more significant threat to human beings in the years to come due to climate change, and reasons such as …

Kendu leaf trade: Stringent laws needed to keep children out

The news of children working at kendu leaf collection centres often trickle in during April-May every year. Children are mostly engaged in …

Bumper procurement helps Odisha kendu leaf collectors amid COVID-19

The volume of Kendu leaves sold this year was worth over Rs 70 crore than 2020.

Fani damaged betel vineyards in Odisha

The natural disaster, which claimed over 40 lives, has caused huge losses to around 8,000 paan farmers across Odisha’s …

Insects today damage plants more despite dwindling numbers: Study

Human influence may have a role to play, say scientists

Cyclone Yaas: Acres of standing crop destroyed in Odisha’s ‘vegetable bowl’

Farmers fear further losses if rainwater is not flushed out from the fields

Cyclone Amphan hit 100,000 ha farmland: Odisha minister

Farmers rue crop loss, blame state for insufficient insurance policy

COVID-19: Odisha allows collection of non-timber forest produce

Experts had been demanding NTFPs’ exemption from the lockdown as they are a vital part of India’s tribal economy

Despite having forest rights titles, two Kalahandi villages denied transit permit

The forest department has been misusing the transit permit, which is essential to sell kendu leaf, a lucrative Minor Forest Produce

COVID-19: Kendu leaf procurement hits roadblock in Odisha

State forest officials deter Kalahandi district’s village to procure kendu leaves through gram sabha   

16 heatwaves in Odisha this summer rob its tribal women of livelihood

Soaring mercury levels make it difficult for them to spend much time in the jungle & collect forest produce such as leaves of kendu and siali,…

India has registered a global first of a plant fungus infecting humans; climate change, AMR will exacerbate it

Fungi can now evade the process by which the body defends itself; global warming, which narrows the thermal difference between humans and their …

Loss of a legacy: Mahoba’s Desawari variety betel leaf could disappear in three to four years; here is why

Extreme weather events, rising input costs have made betel leaf cultivation unviable in Mahoba, nearly destroying its unique Desawari variety …

LEAF Coalition’s proposal is a step forward in saving forests, indigenous peoples

The implementation of the coalition’s plan will help pump in fresh rigour among developing countries like India, that are reluctant to …

COVID-19: Losses stoke fear among Bengal’s betel leaf farmers

More than 1.5 mln betel leaf farmers stare at losses in the state

The bizarre demand for a Banarasi paan GI

Geographical Indication tag continues to be handed out without examining the scientific basis or the integrity of such claims

How the size and shape of dried leaves can turn small flames into colossal bushfires

At the beginning of a fire or under mild conditions, differences in litter characteristics may strongly influence how that fire spreads

Warming temperatures can mean mass leaf deaths in tropical forests

Some percentage of leaves from tropical forests are already exposed to such temperatures that prevent their normal functioning  

Over 100 Odisha Gram Sabhas exercise forest rights, cut out middlemen to sell kendu leaves directly

Move helping villagers get better prices, ensuring on gap in collection of leaves from all areas and helping underprivileged tribes

COVID-19: Maharashtra exempts non-timber forest produce from lockdown

Income from collecting tendu leaves keeps small farmers in Maharashtra from depending on loans

Mango leaf extract can prevent steel from corroding: Study

In a bid to develop a ‘green’ alternative, researchers from the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, …