Snow Leopard: Enigmatic big cat of High Asia now National Symbol of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz president Sadyr Zhaparov signed decree on December 30, asking his Cabinet to safeguard the species and promote it  

Blame Stamford Raffles: How the British ended the Malayan tiger’s reign over Singapore

Island has lost 37% of its biodiversity in the 200 years since it was first colonised, says new study; this includes the Malayan tiger  

World Snow Leopard Day 2023: Time for the enigmatic cat to be recognised as climate adaptation mascot in the Third Pole?

The snow leopard is a resident of High Asia. Its imagery can appeal not just to people there but to those dependent on the cryosphere that the …

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2023: The Orang Asli use traditional knowledge to save Malayan tigers

Down To Earth spoke to Phung Chee Chean, Kenyir Project Problem Analyst for Panthera, on the Orang Asli protectors of Malaysia’s last tigers

‘It is the elephant-headed aspect so prevalent in Ganesha that has allowed his icon to gain a foothold in many cultures’

Down To Earth speaks to Lode Rosseels, a Belgian engineer, linguist and Japanologist, on Ganesha's journey from India to Tibet, China and Japan

Why are dates used to break the Ramadan fast?

The answer lies in geography, theology and modern science

Did Hanuman inspire China’s Sun Wukong? In all probability yes, says B R Deepak

Prominent Sinologist talks to Down To Earth about the ancient connections between India and China via the Ramayana

Markhor: The world’s largest wild goat now has a day of its own

The UN declared May 24 as ‘International Day of the Markhor’ on May 2, citing its iconic and economic importance

Mocha: Most models predict storm will strike Myanmar. Is the country prepared?

The country’s last major cyclone, Nargis in 2008, claimed over 84,000 lives

Miracle on the Steppe: The Saiga has beaten extinction for now, finds new IUCN Red List

Only 6% of the population was left in 2003, a decade after the break-up of the Soviet Union

We find several connections of sound to the environment: Radha Kapuria

Down To Earth speaks to Durham University academic and author about the influence of the environment on music, visual and the performing arts

First case of Lumpy Skin Disease documented in Cambodian wild bovids: Study

A male banteng or wild cattle was discovered with signs of the disease in September 2021 and died soon after; case highlights danger to wild …

International Tiger Day 2023: Yes, tigers did roam Sindh and Bahawalpur once

The tiger is of course extinct in Pakistan but it should be a sobering thought that it has only become so within the last 100 years

As war looms over West Asia, many of its major water bodies are already on the brink

The Tigris-Euphrates and Jordan river basins, Dead Sea, Zayandeh Rud, Red Sea and Persian Gulf are symbols of the intertwined geopolitical & …

Domestic violence to rise as subcontinent heats up: Study

Each 1°C increase in the annual mean temperature associated with a mean increase in domestic violence prevalence of 4.4

A dedicated snow leopard cell was long-pending: Koustubh Sharma

Down To Earth speaks to snow leopard expert Koustubh Sharma on the findings of the latest government report on the enigmatic cat  

Earth Day 2024: Bhutan will host global meet today to mobilise finance for tiger conservation across Asia

World needs to invest $1 billion over next decade to conserve tigers and their habitats across the continent  

Silent Chernobyl: Dry Aral Sea has made Central Asia dustier, with impacts on global climate, says study

Not only does the dust of the Aralkum Desert left in place of the Aral endanger residents, it also can accelerate the melting of glaciers …

Wine production crossing the Channel & more: Study captures changing geography of vineyards due to climate change

In Asia, Himalayas predicted to see more growth in wine production, along with Pamirs  

World Dhole Day 2023: India, Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand doing well on conserving enigmatic canid, says expert

Down To Earth speaks to Arjun Srivathsa, a wildlife biologist who works on large carnivore ecology and conservation about the situation regarding …

Hindu Kush Himalaya is a ‘biosphere on the brink’: ICIMOD

‘It is almost too late’ to stem losses in nature and habitat in the HKH region, says organisation at meeting in Kathmandu

Nearly 150,000 Indians have died in the past 51 years because of extreme weather: WMO

Extreme weather, climate and water-related events caused nearly 12, 000 disasters worldwide between 1970 and 2021