Our early warning systems—which inform people about the presence of elephants to avoid surprise encounters—have now been set up in Gudulur, Tamil Nadu! NCF’s M Ananda Kumar and his team have been running these systems in Valparai, Tamil Nadu, since 2002, in collaboration with local people, plantation companies, and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. In […]
Author: Janhavi Rajan
Reconnecting children with the natural world—Q&A with Suhel Quader
The natural world is magical. And if you’ve spent even a little time by a clear, whispering river as you patter your bare feet on smooth pebbles, or watched a spider delicately weave its web as it glistens with dew and trembles gently in the wind, or experienced the deep sense of calm that observing […]
Plant invaders: Q&A with Geetha Ramaswami
Geetha Ramaswami is a Research Associate at NCF, and is particularly interested in invasive plants—especially how they affect and get affected by the ecosystem they invade. What are introduced species? What are native species? Well, over many millennia, different species have evolved to live in different kinds of environments. They may not have […]
Where are elephants in Valparai? Find out on a bus!
Our Elephant Information Network has a new addition: voice announcement systems installed on government buses to alert passengers about elephant presence in the Valparai plateau. If you happen to hop onto a Government bus in Valparai in the evening, instead of that uptempo Tamil music that you were expecting though the speakers, you might be surprised […]
Q&A with Kalzang Gurmet and Tanzin Thinley
We asked our Spitian Field Coordinators (who were recently in Bangalore for a workshop) some searching questions about what it’s really like to live and work in snow leopard country. (Translated from Hindi) What got you interested in wildlife? Thinley: I was always interested in wildlife and I always loved animals. My father was known as […]
Settling on shaky ground: How dead coral structures carve the fate of young coral recruits in the Lakshadweep islands
Photographs: Shreya Yadav Illustration: Rohan Arthur For coral larvae—the free-floating progeny of adult coral—picking a perfect place to build their homes amidst the bustling crannies, alleys and turrets of reefs is ever so important, especially since once they settle, they spend their entire lives in the same place. But with sea temperatures spiralling upwards, […]
The fate of seeds: What have rodents got to do with it?
A rodent of the genus Rattus. Credit: Harikrishnan S. In the lush, tropical forests of Pakke, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, fruit-eating animals—hornbills, in particular—are vital seed dispersers. But another little-studied group of animals also plays a significant role in affecting the fate of seeds. The animals in question: rodents! Researchers from the Nature […]
Bats like something in their tea!
Illustration: Rohan Chakravarty, www.greenhumour.com New study shows that bats prefer rainforest fragments, riverine habitats and shade-grown coffee to tea plantations in the Valparai Plateau. The Western Ghats in India is the most densely populated biodiversity hotspot in the world! A mere six per cent of its old-growth forests remain; most of its natural vegetation has been […]
Back home to the healing forest
Read Part I of the story here. Abhi and his parents are at a wildlife rescue centre. They were driving to the village when Abhi saw an injured python on the road. Luckily, they found a helpline number on a signboard nearby and dialed it. The rescue team arrived, carefully scooped the snake and put […]
Abhi to the rescue!
Drive safe – Countless animals right from mighty elephants to tiny frogs lose their lives to reckless, speeding vehicles each year in India. Photo credit: Sanjay Gubbi Abhi looks out the window from the backseat. He and his parents are on their way to his grandmother’s house in the village. They’re driving through a road that runs […]