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 second set of articles we’ve worked on together between January 2022 - March 2022

Birds in Delhi ponds remind us why we should not ignore small urban wetlands

The 39 ponds surveyed by the researchers had negligible historical data and observations recorded through citizen science platforms.

This article makes note of Delhi's rich urban biodiversity recorded in its ponds amid housing colonies, parks while underscoring the need to pay attention to urban water bodies beyond protected wetlands.

Given land for power, Pavagada residents now powerless

Pavagada Solar Park, about 160 km from Bengaluru, spreads across 13,000 acres

In 2015, Pavagada was chosen as the location for Shakti Sthala - Karnataka’s most ambitious solar power project. Pavagada Solar Park, about 160 km from Bengaluru is spread across 13,000 acres. This article discusses the impact of India’s largest solar park that is experimenting with a new model of leasing land from farmers.

Scale of Pavagada Solar Park in Pavagada Taluk

A night-light map of Pavagada Taluk and Bangalore City highlighting the contrast in available resources.

The ignorance of the Haryana government has cost the Aravallis dearly

Dadam stone mine location in Haryana where five people were killed in a landslide in January 2022. It was just the second day of full-fledged mining activities after a long ban.

A report on the impact of unchecked mining processes in Aravallis flouting prescribed rules and threatening local ecology. The article reports on the violations of conditions of environment clearance and approved mining plan and the impacts of the same.

We worked on the locator map for Dadam stone mine and other mines within the Haryana Aravallis.

Grasses spur mangroves to grow in an erosion-riddled Sundarbans patch

New research shows that Sundarbans mangroves, already at risk due to climate change, sea-level rise and land-use changes, are beginning to fast erode.

We worked on a map that indicates the above ground biomass in the Sundarbans for all living biomass above the soil including stem, stump, branches, bark, seeds and foliage. Mangroves are vital for carbon storage and most of this carbon is stored in the soil beneath mangrove trees.

Oil palm expansion in northeast India gives rise to human-elephant conflict concerns

Extent of IUCN Elephant Habitat Range with forest cover in Goalpara, Assam

This article reports on the expansion of oil palm in northeast India that encroaches on forest land leading to an increase in human-elephant conflicts.

Districts Proposed for Palm Oil Cultivation

The Assam government has plans to start oil palm cultivation in 17 districts, including heavily forested districts like Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.

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

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 first five articles we’ve worked on together, starting in October 2021.

Stone mining in Brahmagiri mountains chips away at the Godavari River ecosystem

*Location of the Brahmagiri mountains and Santosha-Bhagadi hills near Nashik city in Maharashtra. Reserve map boundary by Nashik Forest Department.*

This article highlights the human interventions in the natural flow of the Godavari and the subsequent impact on its ecosystems. We worked on a map depicting the Brahmagiri mountains and the Santosha-Bhagadi hills near Nashik city in Maharashtra.

From pollution to power, what stops paddy straw from becoming the fuel of choice

*Spatial data on fires in Punjab and Haryana was acquired by the VIIRS instruments on the* *Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership* *and the* *NOAA-20* *satellites. Each fire pixel represents the centre of a 375m x 375m area that contains actively burning fires.*

The article walks us through farmers' management of surplus paddy straw, the cost, the options of using the same to produce energy at biomass power plants and biogas units and why farm-fires are a common instance post- harvest season in North India.

The above visualization from spatial data on fires in Punjab and Haryana was acquired by the VIIRS instruments on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership and the NOAA-20 satellites. Each fire pixel represents the centre of a 375m x 375m area that contains actively burning fires.

PM 2.5 indicator in Punjab and Haryana during the stubble burning season. The darker the pixel, the greater the concentration of PM 2.5. This map was created using CAMS ECMWF (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) PM2.5 data processed in Google Earth Engine. We have a separate blog post describing the technical process behind this visualisation here.

Chennai’s fight to preserve its wetlands and stay above water

The report notes the importance of conserving freshwater marshes that act like sponges storing the heavy monsoon rains and releasing water during dry months. It also reports the efforts from the government of Tamil Nadu to conserve the Pallikaranai marsh, the last remaining freshwater marsh in Chennai. We worked with Mongabay-India to visualise Pallikaranai Wetlands shrinking acreage from 2450 ha in 1991 to 700 ha today.

Return of the tiger at West Bengal’s Buxa tiger reserve

An adult male tiger was recently recorded on a camera trap in Buxa Tiger Reserve in north Bengal after 23 years. Mongabay-India writes on the ecosystem restoration activities in the Buxa Tiger Reserve, including grassland management that experts say helped bring the tiger back to the protected area.

We worked on a locator map for Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) located in Alipurduar district of West Bengal which is contiguous to Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhutan in its north.

Snakes in Bengaluru city

The report weighs movement of snakes and other urban wildlife against the rapid urbanisation of Bengaluru. We worked on visualising the rapid urbanisation of Bengaluru district from 1995-2020. Water bodies and vegetation cover decrease as urbanisation increases.

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

Conservation Cartography with Mongabay-India (Part-II)

Conservation Cartography with Mongabay-India (Part-I)