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(August 11, 2020) By Zoya TyabjiThis is the second in a series of commentaries by researchers with WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) during Shark Week documenting challenges and successes in shark and ray conservation today.A requim shark caught as bycatch in a gillnet fishery. A pelagic longline fishing vessel has just returned from a 15-day fishing trip from the high seas, and is offloading at Junglighat, the major fishing harbor in the Andaman Islands. The shark caught — most probably an oceanic w...

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(August 10, 2020) We know that rangers are the frontline heroes in forestry, protecting our natural resources despite the danger the job may bring. However, behind this diligence on the ground are people with extremely interesting backgrounds and stories to share, which we hope to bring out through our series, “Heroes of Our Frontline Staff".This series is dedicated to the thousands of rangers relentlessly going about their everyday tasks, without expectation of recognition for their hard work.Today, we spo...

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(August 06, 2020) By Aashika Ravi  At 72, he considers himself “a card-carrying member of the budda party”, but Bittu Sahgal’s love for nature remains evergreen. With a prolific career as an activist, a writer, and most prominently the founder and editor of Sanctuary Asia, one of India’s pioneering wildlife and ecology magazines, Sahgal has contributed immensely to wildlife conservation in India. His initiatives to promote grassroots conservationists, engage the youth in conserva...

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(July 31, 2020) Coral reefs are the celebrities of the oceans: exceptionally photogenic, colourful and always the talk of the town when it comes to marine biodiversity. They also happen to be infamous models to show the negative impacts of climate change on the oceans. These are some of the aspects of coral reefs which are in the limelight. But there is so much more to the coral reef universe that we recently discovered through coral identification. Put simply, it involves identifying the taxonomic groups of co...

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(July 08, 2020) Virendra Tiwari, a dynamic officer from the Indian Forest Service (1990 batch), took the baton of running the Mangrove Cell as Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and an ex-officio Executive Director of the Mangrove Foundation. In this interview with Moon Bhandari, WCS-India, he talks about encountering a myriad of forestry subjects and milestones in his service of 29 years.Photo courtesy: Virendra TiwariCan you tell us about your journey of serving in territorial ranges to Mantral...

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(July 06, 2020) From ranking first in the Indian Forest Service (IFS) Exam nearly nine years ago, to now leading the State Forest Training Institute (STFI), Walayar, Kerala, R Keerthi has come a long way in her prestigious career as a forest officer.We spoke to her about her motivations for serving in the IFS, her biggest learning experiences, and her current role as Director, STFI.Tell us a little bit about your motivations behind joining the IFS. What drew you to it?I always loved nature. When I was a kid, wa...

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(June 25, 2020) Quite often as wildlife biologists or conservationists, we tend to forget about the interests of other humans. Especially if one is fresh off the boat equipped with a degree in biology and conservation. Conservation becomes all about saving whatever enigmatic flora, fauna or habitat that has caught the eye. It can easily blind one into not considering other denizens – the people – who are as much a part of the story as the species or habitat. It is easy to forget that people can be a...

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(June 15, 2020) Prakriti Srivastava is an officer from the Indian Forest Service, currently country director, Wildlife Conservation Society - India. In this interview with Aditi Phadnis, she discusses a host of challenges faced by those who want to conserve wildlife, including the animal-human conflict.Illustration by Binay SinhaThe horrific incident in which an elephant died in Kerala recently has once again brought to the fore the conflict between animals and humans. The bestiality of this attack has shocked ...

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(June 11, 2020) By Ramya Roopa SengottuvelTrade in wildlife has existed for decades. However, trafficking is no longer synonymous only with illegal trade in big charismatic fauna or their parts, such as the pelts of big cats, rhino horns, elephant ivory and so on. Several animal and plant species – newer, rarer and barely known, have come to enter and dominate illegal markets, both nationally and internationally. Like other trade industries, trends in the type and quantity of the commodity traded (a speci...

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(June 05, 2020) Artificial Intelligence has given computers vision. It is now giving conservationists the “ears” they need. Recognizing endangered species by their call in the wild is a critical element in conservation efforts. Unlike vision, sound can be used to track them even if the animals are camouflaged and irrespective of the direction where they are located. Also, sound travels a long distance in the wild. This means that tracking by sound can work even in areas that are difficult to access....

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