In 2021, we began collaborating with Mongabay-India to enhance their stories with our spatial analysis expertise. Our joint goal is to use diverse storytelling formats to expand conservation awareness and reach a wider audience. This blogpost documents the third set of articles we’ve worked on together between March 2022 - May 2022

A decade on, India’s first solar park has many promises left to fulfil

The Gujarat Solar Park(GSP), India’s first utility-scale solar park, sets an example of how renewable energy development, if not done right, can lead to more environmental harm than good. The article discusses the socio-economic impacts of GSP, 10 years after its establishment.

Mahatma hill’s avian diversity shows the importance of conserving the ‘tekdis’ of Pune

Pune’s Mahatma hill, an offshoot of the Western Ghats, is home to around 129 species of resident and migratory birds, though recent years have seen a decline in their numbers. In the past two years, increased anthropogenic interference in the hill’s ecosystem are affecting the avian habitats here. 

We worked on a map collating information on bird diversity present in Mahatma Hill using iNaturalist data.

Expansion of windmills in Kachchh impact unique thorn forest and wildlife

Sangnara village in Kachchh depends mainly on agriculture and pastoralism for livelihood. The article brings forward the villagers’ interest that windmill projects planned within the village boundary be scrapped owing to the impact of windmills on Kachchh’s sensitive landscape- on local ecology, water sources and interpersonal relations.

We worked on the locator map for Sangnara and the location of other windmills in Kachchh.

The wind farm paradox in southern Tamil Nadu & Conserving biodiversity as wind farms expand in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is home to about 25 percent of India’s total wind energy capacity and remains an important part of India’s renewable energy target. The articles discuss the effect of the rising number of wind farms on biodiversity, and the social impacts of the same.

Wrong trees in wrong places wastes tree plantation budget, finds study

Tree planting is widely promoted as a natural solution to restore forests and absorb carbon from the atmosphere. India places heavy emphasis and budgets on tree planting in its global climate change goals. This article reports on the trend of planting the wrong trees in the wrong places, leading to financial losses.

(Note: This is the third blog in the series on our collaboration with Mongabay-India. Read the first blog here, and the second, here)