We’ve all seen the headlines about fish kills and green, choked water bodies in Bengaluru. But despite crores of rupees being poured into lake restoration, why do so many fixes fail? According to experts, the issue isn’t a lack of technology – it’s a lack of tailored design and consistent maintenance. Check out the article featuring Priyanka Jamwal and Seshadri K. S. from ATREE using the link. deccanherald.com/india/karna…

Introducing a new Tinkle comic on the Dokpas, a pastoralist community in the Himalaya. Through the story of a 14-year-old boy, the comic brings alive the close bond the Dokpas share with their livestock and their landscape. It also captures the growing challenges confronting their pastoral way of life. ATREE, through The Himalaya Initiative, is working in partnership with RIST across three Himalayan landscapes, where strengthening yak pastoralism is one of a key focus. @royalenfield @globalconservation @conservationorg @mastercardindia @the_ristrust @mountainsmangroves @ATREE-THI @atreearunachal @atree_academy @icimod

Dr Nakul Chettri, Associate Director, The Himalaya Initiative, ATREE, contributed to this vital piece of research alongside leading scientists from around the world. The report's core message: Climate and nature are inseparable. Fragmented planning leads to inefficient investments and missed opportunities. It emphasises how lasting solutions only emerge when we bring climate, nature and people together. Read the report using the link. cms.zsl.org/sites/default/fi…

A new study by Nipu Kumar Das (PhD 2019) and Aravind N. A. (Sr. Fellow) describes one new species each of the genus Georissa and genus Acmella from northeast India, along with new distribution records of two species of Georissa. This study highlights the potential for further research into molluscan diversity within unique limestone ecosystems and underscores the need for more studies to confirm the true cave-dwelling nature of these microsnails. Read the full research paper by the European Journal of Taxonomy here: europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu…

In the mist-draped forests of rural Darjeeling, stories travel from one generation to the next as softly and steadily as mountain rain. Among these stories is one that almost every elder in deep forest villages knows: there is a bird whose call brings the rain. Read the article by Aditya Pradhan, Sr. Research Associate, ATREE, through the link - india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a…

Every World Environment Day, we see a beautiful surge in tree-planting campaigns. While planting trees is a fantastic step, saving the ecological future of the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya requires a much deeper commitment: true ecosystem restoration. A native forest isn’t just a collection of trees – it is a complex, living network of plants, wildlife, fungi, soils and freshwater systems that have been fragmented over centuries. Read the full article by Shailendra Dewan, Fellow at ATREE, using the link. thedarjeelingchronicle.com/b…

From Kazakhstan to Rajasthan and further south to Chennai, Montagu’s Harriers follow the seasons across the Central Asian Flyway. Their journey highlights the ecological connections that link grasslands, wetlands and open habitats across Asia. Read the article featuring Arjun Kannan, researcher at ATREE, through the link - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/…

Nature-based solutions are seen as a climate hope, but are they always effective? New research raises critical questions about NbS in the Global South. While green roofs can cool buildings and improve well-being, many interventions, like constructed wetlands in Bengaluru, are 'polishing steps' rather than complete treatments. 'If you use NbS to address climate change without addressing the source of the problem, NbS can quickly become greenwash or a distraction,' says Sharachchandra Lele, Faculty at ATREE. Read the complete article using the link. deccanherald.com/environment…

This isn't just a story of water appropriation. It’s a masterclass in technopolitics – how technical maps, boundaries and planning choices can depoliticise decisions about water allocation. When a mega-city expands its resource footprint without expanding its borders, who decides who gets water—and at whose expense? Read the full deep-dive by @SachinTiwale, Fellow at ATREE, on how Mumbai claims hydrological dominance over its neighbours. @scroll_in scroll.in/article/1093128/mu…

The biogeographic history of India has been an interesting area of study, as initially, it was believed that the rafting Indian plate carried Gondwanan elements and subsequently dispersed them into presentday Southeast Asia after collision. However, several studies have shown that most modern vertebrate groups originated in Southeast Asia and dispersed to India more recently. Despite its broad distribution, the evolutionary origin of the land snails genus and the biogeographic history of Indian taxa remain unresolved due to the absence of molecular data from India. In this new paper, researchers from ATREE test whether the Indian Cyclophorus fauna represents an ‘Into India’ dispersal scenario and investigate its diversification history. Read the full paper "Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Land Snail Genus Cyclophorus Montfort, 1810 (Caenogastropoda: Cyclophoridae) Reveal the Evolutionary History of Indian Taxa" by Nipu Kumar Das, Surya Narayanan, Yamuna Cholayil Gopi, and Neelavar Ananthram Aravind here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/…

Vembanad Lake is losing its native identity. A recent joint study by KUFOS and ATREE has sounded the alarm on a drastic drop in native fish populations. Check out the article featuring Maneeja Murali, Sr. Programme Officer at ATREE-CERC, and other experts in the field discussing the topic, using the link. newindianexpress.com/states/…

The Evolving Phylo-Lab at IISc (Centre for Ecological Sciences) and the Freshwater Ecology and Conservation Lab at ATREE are teaming up for an exciting, collaborative project funded by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). We are looking for two highly motivated Junior Research Fellows to study the phylogeny, biogeography, and genomic secrets of cave-dwelling animals in Meghalaya! Check out the link to know more atree.org/career/jrf-positio…

We invite you to the keynote lecture by Dr Harini Nagendra, ecologist and sustainability scholar, at the inaugural session of ATREE Academy's Introduction to Ecology and Development Certificate Course. The lecture is titled “Thinking Ecologically About Our Common Future”. Dr Nagendra, who is currently the Director of the School of Climate Change and Sustainability at Azim Premji University, has over three decades of research on forest conservation, urban ecology and the relationship between people and nature. She is internationally recognised for her interdisciplinary work spanning ecology, remote sensing, biodiversity and the commons. She has published more than 200 scholarly papers, served as a Lead Author for the IPCC, and received numerous honours, including an Honorary Doctorate from Utrecht University and the Elinor Ostrom Senior Scholar Award. She is also the author of popular books such as “Nature in the City: Bengaluru in the Past, Present and Future” and “Cities and Canopies: Trees of Indian Cities”. 12 June 2026 (Friday) 9:00–10:30 AM ATREE Auditorium (Hybrid) Registration link - atree.org/atree_events/think…

The Upper Spiti Landscape is experiencing a staggering shift, reveals data. Between 2003 and 2013, the region’s overall livestock population plummeted by 44%. But the biggest shock isn't the number, it’s the cause. While global attention often focuses on wild predators like snow leopards and wolves, local communities point to a different "keystone" disrupter: Free-ranging domestic dogs. Check out the research paper by Chandrima Home, Siddhartha Krishnan, Yash Veer Bhatnagar and Abi Tamim Vanak, where they also provide management interventions to tackle the issue. Use the link link.springer.com/article/10…

This World Environment Day, we present ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’, an ATREE film that tells a conservation story from Kerala’s Vembanad Lake, led by the people dependent on it. The film follows the local fisherfolk as they go about their daily lives, where caring for the lake is part of their routines and livelihoods. Emerging from years of work at ATREE’s community conservation centre, it is a story in which science, traditional knowledge and collective action blend to revive a troubled ecosystem. youtu.be/Ga5Obe2_-4I

In Madhya Pradesh, 925 "forest villages" remain under the tight administrative control of the Forest Department rather than the Revenue Department. Originally established during the British Raj to secure forced tribal labour for scientific forestry, these settlements have largely remained unchanged, leaving generations of residents without rights and services available in regular villages. Check out the article in Hindi, by Satyam Shrivastava from ATREE, using the link. hindi.mongabay.com/2026/05/2…

We are looking for a highly motivated Senior Research Assistant to join our Water and Society programme in Bengaluru! In this role, you will lead field plantation activities, develop ecological restoration plans and collaborate with local communities and stakeholders to bring a peri-urban lake back to health. Know more using the link. atree.org/career/sra-lrp-2/

ATREE alumnus Hassan Shahnowaz Islam reflects on his visit to Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, for the 18th Vembanad Fish Count, sharing the many perspectives and experiences that shape conservation in the region. He illustrates the landscape's changing ecology, especially after the Thanneermukkom barrage was built across Vembanad Lake to benefit paddy farming, which has significantly impacted the lake’s depth, bird migration and fish diversity. Read the full article here: roundglasssustain.com/conser…