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Feature

Crisis on the Darling

Understanding conflict between aboriginal people and ecologists

Interview

Elrika D’Souza

The grass is greener where the seacow feeds!

Feature

Marine mammal conservation and the role of research

The tools and methods used to study marine mammals should be dictated by the research and conservation questions that need to be answered and the resources available to do so (from funding to ship time). Where very little is known about the community composition within a country’s exclusive economic zone, a series of shipboard based visual surveys might be the best way to obtain baseline information on geographic and seasonal abundance of multiple species.

Feature

The constant gardener

Out in the wonderfully clear azure seas of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, we embarked on a quest to study a little known animal, the dugong, commonly known as the sea cow. Spending about seventy percent of their lives below the surface, dugongs come into view only briefly when they rise up to breathe, once every five to seven minutes; no wonder they are still shrouded in mystery!

Special

What is the scope for nature in cities?

A growing majority of the world’s population now lives in cities. The fastest population growth and most extensive urban expansion is expected to take place in the global south: Asia, Africa and Latin America. Much of the growth is expected in some of the world’s most biodiversity rich areas, including the Western Ghats in India, and Sri Lanka. At the same time, the most heavily affected regions and countries often have limited economic resources and institutional capacities to deal with the growth.