(May 26, 2025) Why India needs stable urban forests | The Hindu Urban forests play a vital role in mitigating pollution, climate change, and urban heat, while supporting biodiversity and public well-being. Rapid urbanisation threatens these green spaces, as seen in Hyderabad’s Kancha Gachibowli, prompting judicial intervention. The Nagar Van Yojana aims to establish 1,000 urban forests by 2027 to restore ecological balance in cities. Asiatic lion population in Gujarat rises from 674 to 891 in 5 y...

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(May 23, 2025) A team of nine WCS-India staff and four community representatives from Nagaland recently visited Arunachal Pradesh to learn from the inspiring, community-led conservation efforts of Garung Thuk and the Bugun community of Singchung village. Garung Thuk, a grassroots NGO based in Shergaon, works to strengthen local pride in biodiversity through awareness sessions, capacity-building workshops, and youth engagement. In Singchung, the Bugun community has led the way by setting aside land as th...

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(May 19, 2025) The markhor is losing crucial grazing habitat to livestock | Mongabay Rising livestock numbers in Kashmir’s alpine regions are restricting the Kashmir markhor’s access to key grazing areas, forcing it into suboptimal habitats and threatening its survival. A recent study highlights how high livestock pressure reduces markhor movement, reproduction, and population density. Experts recommend protecting fawning sites and promoting alternate grazing zones to ensure long-term conservati...

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(May 13, 2025) New study reveals how lion-tailed macaque strategically uses its habitat amidst increasing human pressures | The Hindu A new study in Silent Valley National Park shows that lion-tailed macaques adapt their movement and space use based on human presence. Troops in buffer zones remained in the mid-canopy to avoid disturbance, while core-area troops used the forest floor more often, revealing unexpected ecological flexibility. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating three-dimensio...

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(May 05, 2025) Mumbai: Camera-trap survey finds 57 leopards in Sanjay Gandhi park, nearby areas | The Indian Express A camera-trap survey by the Maharashtra Forest Department and WCS-India recorded 57 leopards in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park and adjoining areas, including Aarey and Tungareshwar, between February and June 2024. The study highlighted strong breeding signs, long-term site fidelity, and the need for better habitat protection amid rising human-leopard interactions and encroachments...

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