Articles by: Dr Marianne de Nazareth

At last wild Orchids are being protected in India  

At last wild Orchids are being protected in India  

We lived in Shillong in Meghalaya for two years when my father was posted there with the Indian Air Force. That is where we learnt so much about India’s rare orchids which grew quite happily in the jungles around. In Fact there was a beautiful Orchidarian which was close to our home off Laitumkhrah in the busy downtown area. The[Read More…]

by 10/09/2022 Comments are Disabled Environmental Protection
Africocypha varicolor_red_André Günther

Dragonflies threatened as wetlands around the world disappear says the IUCN

As children in Bangalore we always found dragonflies in the garden. Catching them by their papery wings we would cruelly tie strings to their tails. Seeing them sail about the garden with the strings trailing behind them, set us off into paroxysms of childish laughter. Those wonderful icons of our childhood which were found in abundance across the world are[Read More…]

by 13/12/2021 Comments are Disabled Environmental Protection
African savanna elephant, Tsavo, 2015 (6480) © Frank af Petersens

African elephant species now Endangered and Critically Endangered says IUCN

African Elephants are such magnificent animals that when the IUCN press-note popped up on my email, my heart plummeted to read that they are critically endangered and endangered. The note attributes the decline over several decades due to poaching for ivory and loss of habitat. The African forest elephant is now listed as Critically Endangered and the African savanna elephant[Read More…]

by 26/03/2021 Comments are Disabled Environmental Protection
Picture courtesy WWF

Ocean scientists and fishermen team up to document seal and fishing net interactions

We tend to feel that it’s only the sea creatures that suffer at the hands of fishermen, bulk fishing their food. But, when seals and other marine animals prey on fish caught in these fishermen’s net, we as lay people do not realise that it can be costly both economically and ecologically. It can reduce the amount of sell-able fish,[Read More…]

by 09/09/2019 Comments are Disabled Environmental Protection
The looming extinction of the Vaquita porpoise

The looming extinction of the Vaquita porpoise

The World Heritage Committee on 3rd July 2019 in Baju, Azerbaijan, followed the IUCN’s advice to list Mexico’s Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California as a World Heritage site in danger. The site’s population of vaquitas – the world’s smallest and most endangered species of porpoise – has been decimated due to the illegal trade of marine[Read More…]

by 04/07/2019 Comments are Disabled Environmental Protection
A bubblegum coral (Paragorgia spp.) similar to, but distinct from, the new species identified in Lydonia Canyon. (Photo by Ivan Agerton, OceanX)

New Species of Deep-Sea Corals Discovered in US Atlantic Marine Monument

All we have been reading about of late are that coral reefs are dying around the world. Damaging activities by man include coral mining, pollution (organic and non-organic), overfishing, blast fishing, the digging of canals and access into islands and bays. Other dangers include disease, destructive fishing practices and warming oceans due to climate change. Infact in 2016 and 2017,[Read More…]

by 12/04/2019 Comments are Disabled Environmental Protection
Photo/Mohib Uddin

 An Indian Icon: The Great Indian Bustard

The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps)  is a magnificent  ground bird with a height of about one metre. It is unmistakable, as it sports a black cap of feathers which contrast with a pale head and neck. The entire body is a tan colour, with a black patch which is spotted with white. The Great Indian Bustard according to the[Read More…]

by 01/03/2019 Comments are Disabled Environmental Protection
Bangalore has it’s own variant of air pollution

Bangalore has it’s own variant of air pollution

A lot of residents who make Bangalore their home from another country or state tend to suffer from acute breathing allergies from September to April, which is the high allergy season in Bangalore. Infact over the years, long time residents also begin to suffer from respiratory issues. During this time, many residents suffer from constant runny nose and difficulty in[Read More…]

Beluga whales have small external	ear openings, located a	few inches	behind each eye. All work conducted under NMFS permit	no. 14245.	Photo by Alaska	Department

Has increased traffic in the Arctic Ocean, impacted the Beluga whale’s hearing?

Those of us interested in the mammals of the sea have definitely enjoyed the pictures and videos on the internet of Belugas. The Beluga, or white whale, is one of the smallest species of whale. Their distinctive colour and prominent foreheads make them easily identifiable. Calves are born gray or even brown and only fade to white as they become[Read More…]

The internet is proving a boon to Southeast Asia’s illegal pet Otter trade

The internet is proving a boon to Southeast Asia’s illegal pet Otter trade

The cute little Panda from China, the cuddly Koala bear from Australia and now the Otter cub have become the fascinating new pet, which pet lovers especially in South East Asia, have begun to crave for. Sadly it is their cute looks as pups which draw the avid pet lover to acquire them. Today with vast online possibilities which are[Read More…]

Photo by Rotary Club of Nagpur

Childcare — Daycare Centers or Home Care?

When the kids decided to live in different countries from us their parents, one did not factor in not having family around to help when the babies arrived. As the boys grew, I always had my parents support and the aid of help in India, which came in on a daily basis, or lived in with us till the boys[Read More…]

Rachael Herman, Louisiana State University, © Stony Brook University

Exciting discovery: “Supercolony” of Adelie Penguins Discovered in remote islands off Antarctica

Like all other flora and fauna of our planet, what we have considered the most common, have steadily declined, due to various reasons. So it is exciting to find a population of a declining species, which was considered common earlier, in a remote, undocumented area.   For the past 40 years, the total number of Adélie Penguins, one of the[Read More…]

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ( SIDS ) Is A Phenomenon That Is Worldwide And Heart-Breaking

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ( SIDS ) Is A Phenomenon That Is Worldwide And Heart-Breaking

“ We do not put new-born babies to sleep on their tummies,” said the lady in the day care centre we had visited in the US. “We rule out the possibility of obstruction of the upper airways and suffocation due to a roll up of the sheet in the crib. Plus today it’s a mandatory rule enforced by the government.”[Read More…]

The Beauty Of The Snow Leopard Can Be Lost Forever

The Beauty Of The Snow Leopard Can Be Lost Forever

It’s a beautiful sight in it’s natural habitat , but the snow leopard  (Panthera uncia ) a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia is endangered. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of threatened species,  because, as of 2003, the size of the global wild population was estimated at 4,080–6,590 adults. According to Wiki, fewer than 2,500 individuals may[Read More…]

Pankaj Rajpal's solar Rooftop in New Delhi

Why Is India Lagging Behind In Tapping Solar Power?

Two emails come in simultaneously into my email box. One almost chortling that California breaks energy record with 80% of state’s power generated using renewable methods. The Golden State generated 67% of its energy from renewables in one day. I stare at the text, truly amazed at California’s drive to get clean. Meanwhile, the second email which is a Greenpeace[Read More…]

Saving The Amazon Reef

Saving The Amazon Reef

The Great Barrier Reef on the north-east coast of Australia which contains the world’s largest collection of coral reefs, has been the only reef which has been in the news of late  and has a UNESCO heritage label. Today with oceans heating up reefs are threatened and the world holds its breath, hoping to reverse the trend. Interestingly, a newly[Read More…]

On hard substrata, frequently observed epilithic organisms include corals, actiniarians, hydroids, sponges, ascidians and crinoids - from 2011 seamounts expedition in the SW Indian O_C_IUCN [fwdslash] NERC

An Expedition to Explore Life on Undersea Mountains

For the common man, mountains are a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. In geography we were taught that a mountain is generally steeper than a hill. And that mountains are formed with movement between tectonic plates or volcanoes erupting. So it is amazing to know that[Read More…]

We Breathe Polluted Air Beyond Permissible Standards Across India

We Breathe Polluted Air Beyond Permissible Standards Across India

Every single day, we in India who walk the streets of our country, India, breathe polluted air way beyond permissible standards for our health. Several reports had been published over the years about the abysmal state of air pollution in New Delhi, the capital. A few government interventions like taking vehicles of over 15 years off the streets and making[Read More…]

Elephants in Amboseli National Park, Kenya - Photo Credit, Credit Julian Blanc

We Won’t Have Any African Elephants Left Soon

If you have seen an African elephant on a visit to Kenya, the awe that one feels when you see the majestic beast is all consuming. African elephants are the world’s largest land animals.  According to the WWF site, the biggest can be up to 7.5m long, 3.3m high at the shoulder, and 6 tonnes in weight. There are two[Read More…]

Photo - Bopanna-Pattada

The Wonder Of Sighting The Indian Grey Hornbill In Bangalore

I had gone to cover the Wild Wood Spa, a resort in Kundapur, which is spread out over a large area with hundreds of ancient trees on the property. As we were walking around the property the owner Mr Shetty pointed up to the broad trunk of a ficus tree. In a hole in the trunk which was sealed with[Read More…]

Southern Birdwing female/ ​Photo credit ---​
 Haneesh KM

Southern Birdwing Will Flutter For Karnataka

The Southern Birdwing has a magnificent wing span. I have seen them in Goa and often wondered if it was a butterfly or a small bird! Karnataka plans to  announce the Southern Birdwing (Troides minos) as its state butterfly. It’s stunning beauty will leave one in no doubt as to why. Butterfly lover Haneesh KM says, ” Butterflies  symbolise freedom,[Read More…]

Courtesy: UNICEF

It’s Breast Feeding Week 2016

We were sitting in Bonefish Grill in Omaha, Nebraska,  eating my favourite Bang Bang Shrimp.  The whole restaurant was packed to capacity, with a big crowd still waiting to be seated. Our food had arrived and suddenly the baby began to cry. It was her feed time. In seconds my  friend, swiftly covered herself with her feeding sling and very[Read More…]

Clean Solar Energy, Brings Light To Kenya’s Villages

Clean Solar Energy, Brings Light To Kenya’s Villages

Picture a small village somewhere in rural Kenya. Darkness has fallen and there is no light to even go to the fields to relieve yourself. The only succour are kerosene lanterns, that are proven health hazard for the people living in the home. It was several years ago when UNEP, Nairobi, took us selected journalists from around the world to[Read More…]

Photos by Brett Seymour, EUA/WHOI/ARGO

Exciting Artifacts Discovered On Second Expedition To Antikythera Shipwreck

Stories about shipwrecks on the regular trade routes round the world have always been exciting news. And most of us are only familiar with the Titanic and the treasures unearthed from the wreck.  Recently an international research team has discovered spectacular artifacts during its ongoing excavation of the famous Antikythera Shipwreck (circa 65 B.C.) this month. The shipwreck is located[Read More…]

by 22/06/2016 1 comment Uncategorized
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