Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of In Re: News Item titled "Nayar river is vanishing - a yatra reveals conservation goes beyond science and policy" appearing in ‘The Down To Earth’ dated 03.06.2025. The original application was registered suo-motu based on the news item titled "Nayar …
Many of the world’s plants are turning “alien”, spread by people into new areas where they choke out native vegetation in a worsening trend that causes billions of dollars in damage, scientists said on Wednesday. The invaders include water hyacinth from the Amazon, which has spread to about 50 nations …
Question raised in Lok Sabha on Threatened/Endangered Species, 21/07/2015. Decline in species diversity is a global phenomenon as habitats of wild animals and plants that are increasingly coming under human use. The country''s biodiversity faces a variety of threats, from increasing pressure by land use changes in natural habitats, demand …
The invasion of alien species in their non-native range has resulted in inevitable consequences. Thus, the potential distribution of alien species must be delineated to anticipate and reduce their negative effect on native ecosystems. The potential distribution can be predicted using invasive species distribution models (iSDMs). Thus far, few studies …
The Western Ghats region of India is an area of exceptional freshwater biodiversity and endemism. Mahseer of the genus Tor are considered prized sport fishes of great cultural significance; nevertheless, they are threatened as a result of increasing anthropogenic stressors. In the River Cauvery, the mahseer community comprises a ‘blue-finned’ …
Changes in the phenology of vegetation activity may accelerate or dampen rates of climate change by altering energy exchanges between the land surface and the atmosphere and can threaten species with synchronized life cycles. Current knowledge of long-term changes in vegetation activity is regional, or restricted to highly integrated measures …
The proliferation of a number of pressures affecting the ocean is leading to a growing concern that the state of the ocean is compromised, which is driving society into pessimism. Ocean calamities are disruptive changes to ocean ecosystems that have profound impacts and that are widespread or global in scope. …
The rate of biological invasions is expected to increase as the effects of climate change on biological communities become widespread. Climate change enhances habitat disturbance which facilitates the establishment of invasive species, which in turn provides opportunities for hybridization and introgression. These effects influence local biodiversity that can be tracked …
Recent rapid evolution and spread of resistance to the most extensively used herbicide, glyphosate, is a major threat to global crop production. Genetic mechanisms by which weeds evolve resistance to herbicides largely determine the level of resistance and the rate of evolution of resistance. In a previous study, we determined …
The emergence of infectious diseases with a broad host range can have a dramatic impact on entire communities and has become one of the main threats to biodiversity. Here, we report the simultaneous exploitation of entire communities of potential hosts with associated severe declines following invasion by a novel viral …
Invasive species impact on the biodiversity of Britain by eating native species as well as affecting human health and the economy. Many originate from the Black, Asov and Caspian seas around Turkey and Ukraine. Scientists worry that some may already be in Britain, but as yet undiscovered. Fears have now …
Understanding why some areas are more vulnerable to invasion by invasive alien species than others represents a key challenge in invasion biology. We investigated the roles of landscape, climate, proximity to initial invasion sites, recording intensity and colour pattern polymorphism in explaining the spread of the invasive ladybird Harmonia axyridis …
This fourth edition of the United Nations progress report on the state of global biodiversity calls for bold and accelerated innovative global action to meet the globally-agreed strategic plan for biodiversity and its Aichi targets by 2020. It has been been officially launched on opening day of the Twelfth Meeting …
Global wildlife populations have declined by more than half in just 40 years according to “Living Planet Report 2014” produced by World Wildlife Federation in collaboration with Zoological Society of London & the Global Footprint Network. The biggest recorded threat to biodiversity globally comes from the combined impacts of habitat …
Although the value of agroforests for biodiversity conservation has been frequently highlighted, little is known about the susceptibility of this production system to biological invasions. Drawing on a camera-trap dataset obtained in 39 sites in an agroforestry mosaic in southern Bahia, Brazil, we investigated whether the conversion of native forests …
Small Island Developing States are experiencing some of the earliest and most severe impacts of climate change. Through a series of case studies illustrated with compelling satellite imagery, a new publication documents environmental changes in estuaries, mangroves, corals, coastlines and forests; as well as different approaches to land use and …
A search of two remote islands in the Kimberley has revealed previously unknown populations of threatened native species, including the northern quoll and a tree-rat. An 18-day survey of Lacrosse Island and Buckle Head, as well as a mainland site adjacent to these islands, found a wide range of species. …
The Caribbean is a sprawling sea of deep nutrient-poor waters punctuated by great oases of biomass production and diversity of species, otherwise known as coral reefs. These reef systems circumscribe the shallow seafloor surrounding islands and delimit the continental shelf edge abutting contiguous landmasses: They also populate sunken and receding …
Epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS), a disease listed by World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has been reported in 26 countries across 4 continents. Till date, 94 fish species have been fouund to be naturally infected with EUS and its host range is gradually expanding. In the year 2010-11, outbreaks resulting …
Invasive species cost the Northern Ireland economy £46.5m each year, according to official figures. A report on the economic cost of invasive and non-native species across the island of Ireland was prepared by Invasive Species Ireland, for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and National Parks and Wildlife Service. The …
Climate change-induced sea-level rise in the world's 52 small island nations - estimated to be up to four times the global average - continues to be the most pressing threat to their environment and socio-economic development with annual losses at the trillions of dollars due to increased vulnerability. An immediate …
